Today in Space History - First Orbit of Another World 馃殌
Stardate 556.9938 (NOVEMBER 14, 1971)
On this day in 1971, Mariner 9 fired its engine and became the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. The burn began at 00:18 UTC and lasted a little over fifteen minutes. When it ended, the probe was bound to Mars, a world still hidden under a planet-wide dust storm.
The cameras would have to wait. Controllers told the spacecraft to conserve power and let the storm settle. Weeks later the dust thinned, and Mariner 9 began to show volcanoes, canyons, and the dry traces of ancient water. The first map of another planet was drawn not in a moment of triumph, but in patience.