Page 38 - ShareSpace's Mars Map Teacher's Guide - Sept 2016

iters

ner 9

er 9 was the first orbiting spacecraft to be sent to Mars in 1971. An
r is a spacecraft that circles or orbits a planet.
again point out the features of the robotic spacecraft. When Mariner 9
rrived at Mars the images sent back showed a large dust storm covering
anet. Engineers had to quickly shut off the cameras and waited nearly a
h for the storm to clear. When the planet was finally revealed Mariner 9
two BIG discoveries.
major discovery was…show picture and ask students if anyone knows
t is? It is Olympus Mons. It is a large volcano, the largest known
no in the solar system.
s the second things Mariner 9 discovered. Does anyone know what it is?
large canyon system called Valles Marineris. Do they know what Valles
eris is named after? It is named after the spacecraft that discovered it,
er 9. Ask the students how the orbiter images compare to the flyby
s. (color and better quality)
er note: Mariner 8 was a planned orbiter that failed on launch.