THIS DAY IN SPACE

Mariner 6 Launched Toward Mars
NASA launched Mariner 6 on February 24, 1969, as part of a twin-spacecraft mission to conduct a close flyby of Mars. It was designed to gather data on the Martian atmosphere, surface, and physical properties. The spacecraft successfully flew past the Red Planet in July 1969, just days before the Apollo 11 Moon landing, and returned 75 images that helped revise earlier misconceptions about the Martian surface. These images showed a heavily cratered, Moon-like terrain rather than lush canyons or evidence of water-based erosion, as some had hoped. Mariner 6, along with its companion Mariner 7, helped scientists select landing sites for later missions, such as Viking and Pathfinder. The probe carried instruments to measure temperature, radiation, and atmospheric composition, setting new standards for interplanetary exploration. Although it did not orbit or land, its high-resolution imaging and atmospheric readings helped refine models of Mars’ climate and composition. Mariner 6 represented a significant technological step forward in NASA’s planetary science program during the early stages of Mars exploration.

STS-82 Hubble Servicing Mission Ends
On February 24, 1997, the crew of the STS-82 mission aboard Space Shuttle Discovery completed their successful servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope and began preparations for reentry to Earth. This second Hubble servicing mission had been launched on February 11 and lasted nearly 10 days. During the mission, astronauts conducted five spacewalks to upgrade and replace several key instruments aboard the telescope, including the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph and the Faint Object Spectrograph. They installed the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which dramatically improved Hubble’s capabilities. These upgrades allowed astronomers to peer deeper into the universe, study black holes, measure galactic distances, and analyze planetary atmospheres. The mission was hailed as a technical success and a testament to NASA's commitment to maintaining and enhancing its flagship observatory. The return of STS-82 marked another milestone in the history of manned servicing of robotic space assets, reinforcing the feasibility and value of orbital maintenance.