San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
FIRST SUCCESSFUL MISSION TO MARS LAUNCHED IN 1964
On Nov. 28, 1964, NASA launched a successful journey to Mars. On July 14, 1965, the Mariner 4 spacecraft made history when it completed the first flyby of the red planet and sent 21 grainy black-and-white photos of Mars back to Earth.
NASA currently has two working rovers on the surface of Mars — Curiosity and Perseverance — sending back stunning high-resolution, color images, some from cameras built in San Diego. NASA’S Mars 2020 Perseverance mission even captured and sent back video footage of its rover landing on Mars earlier this year.
From the Evening Tribune, Saturday, Nov. 28, 1964:
U.S. FIRES MARINER 4 AT MARS
SHOT ENTERS ORBIT, HEADS FOR TARGET
CAMERA-EQUIPPED EXPLORER SPEEDING ON 7 1⁄2-MONTH TRIP
CAPE KENNEDY (AP) — Mariner 4 rocketed into space today and the flight control center reported it executed early maneuvers successfully on the start of an intended 7 1/2-month journey to Mars.
The camera-equipped explorer, which represents the United States’ last chance for a close look at Mars for two years, is scheduled to fly across 325 million miles of space before passing within 8,600 miles of the red planet July 14.
During a 30-minute encounter before Mariner 4 soars past Mars into orbit about the sun, a television camera is to take 22 pictures, and instruments are to study atmospheric density, radiation and other scientific secrets.
PROGRESSING SMOOTHLY Jack James, Mariner project director, told a news conference three hours after launching that preliminary tracking data indicated the Mariner was progressing smoothly. He said that radio information on rocket and spacecraft performance was being fed into computers and tracking was continuing in order to calculate the trajectory.
James said six instruments designed to explore secrets of interplanetary space throughout the journey are working and sending clear signals to the earth.