NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Failure

Mariner 8

Launch Time
Sun May 09, 1971 01:11 UTC

Damaged circuit board in Centaur resulted in control failure and engine shutdown at T+365 seconds.

Rocket

Atlas-SLV3C Centaur-D
Image Credit: USAF or NASA
General Dynamics
Status: Retired
Stages: 2
Strap-ons: 0

Mission Details

Mariner 8

Mariner-H (Mariner Mars '71), also commonly known as Mariner 8, was (along with Mariner 9) part of the Mariner Mars '71 project. It was intended to go into Mars orbit and return images and data, but a launch vehicle failure prevented Mariner 8 from achieving Earth orbit and the spacecraft reentered into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after launch.

Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 998.0 kg
Heliocentric Orbit

Location

SLC-36A, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA

Stats

1971

45th orbital launch attempt

Atlas-Centaur

23rd mission
2nd mission of 1971
5th failed mission