Mariner 9 ( Mariner Mars ' 71 / Mariner-I ) is a NASA space orbiter that helped in the exploration of Mars and was part of the Mariner program.

The mission ended July 31, 1999 when the orbiter was guided to an impact into a crater near the lunar south pole in an ( unsuccessful ) attempt to analyze lunar polar water by vaporizing it to allow spectroscopic characterization from Earth telescopes.

The primary purpose of the orbiter was to study the topography of the surface ; analyze its soil composition ; measure various properties of the atmosphere ; monitor " solar radiation, the solar wind, and the interplanetary and martian magnetic fields.

Middeck experiments included: Biological Research in Canister ( BRIC ) experiment to investigate effects of spaceflight on plant specimens ; Military Application of Ship Tracks ( MAST ) to take high-resolution imagery of ship tracks and to analyze wake formation and dissipations ; Solid Surface Combustion Experiment ( SSCE ) to supply information on flame propagation over fuels in space ; Radiation Monitoring Equipment III ( RME III ) to measure ionizing radiation ; Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment II ( SAREX II ) to demonstrate feasibility of short-wave radio contacts between orbiter and ground-based amateur radio operators ; and Air Force Maui Optical Station ( AMOS ) test, which required no onboard hardware.

SPIFEX designed to collect data about orbiter Reaction Control System ( RCS ) thrusters to aid understanding about potential effects of thruster plumes on large space structures, such as Mir space station or planned international space station.

* Category III: Flyby and orbiter missions to locations with the potential to host life and for which there is a possibility of contamination by Earth life ; e. g., Mars, Europa, Titan or Enceladus.

Columbia orbiter landing

After separation and landing, the lander had a mass of about and the orbiter The total launch mass was of which were propellant and attitude control gas.

During descent and landing the orbiter acted as a re-entry vehicle and a glider, using its OMS system and flight surfaces to make adjustments.

Either can fly an orbiter from alternative landing sites back to the Kennedy Space Center.

* A 36-wheeled transport trailer, the Orbiter Transfer System, originally built for the U. S. Air Force's launch facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California ( since then converted for Delta IV rockets ) would transport the orbiter from the landing facility to the launch pad, which allowed both " stacking " and launch without utilizing a separate VAB-style building and crawler-transporter roadway.

* The Crew Transport Vehicle ( CTV ), a modified airport jet bridge, was used to assist astronauts to egress from the orbiter after landing.

The successful missions were in operation concurrently with the Zond and Luna series of Moon flyby, orbiter and landing missions.

* 1971-- Mars-Partial Success-Mars 3 orbiter and lander, first successful landing on Mars

* Mars 6 – 5 August 1973 – Mars orbiter and attempted lander ( failed due to damage on Mars landing )

* NEAR Shoemaker – 17 February 1996 – Eros orbiter, first near-Earth asteroid flyby, first asteroid orbit and first asteroid landing

He was initially assigned to support payload development for the International Space Station, followed by the astronaut support team responsible for orbiter cockpit setup, crew strap-in, and landing recovery.

Young delayed the landing, letting the orbiter drift.

Right before landing, two of the orbiter's three auxiliary power units caught fire due to a hydrazine leak, but the orbiter nonetheless landed successfully.

The landing demonstrated that the shuttle could land in the desert, but sand damaged the orbiter.

The orbiter would have been a modified Mariner probe identical to that employed for Mariner 8 and Mariner 9, while the landers would have been Surveyor moon probes modified with the use of aeroshells and a combination parachute / retrorocket landing systems.

NASA had planned to acquire data on the crew members ' exposure to long periods of zero gravity, and its effects on the crew's performance while landing the orbiter after an extended mission.

The Shuttle orbiters had no on-board lights, due to the difficulty of designing landing lights to survive re-entry, and so the runway was lit by high-intensity xenon arc lamps to guide the orbiter in.

While the orbiter performed the orbit insertion burn, both Surface Stations were to make a soft landing on Mars.

The four petals would open and the lander would signal the orbiter when it passed over the landing site.

The first task the orbiter would perform after achieving Mars orbit was to receive a signal from both Surface Stations to confirm landing.

It then performs a communications session with the orbiter to confirm landing.

On August 6, 2012, the orbiter passed over Gale crater, the landing site of the Mars Science Laboratory mission, during its EDL phase.

He completed a year of training and was initially assigned to work technical aspects of orbiter landing and roll out issues for the Astronaut Office Vehicle Systems Branch.

APU 2 is one of three redundant systems which provide hydraulic pressurization to orbiter steering systems during entry and landing.

ISRO claims that the landing sites of the Apollo Moon missions have been mapped by the orbiter using multiple payloads.

Stephenville Airport was one of a five sites along eastern North America designated as an alternate landing site for the Space Shuttle orbiter during its launches and landings.

Subsequently, the name 2001 Mars Odyssey was selected for the orbiter as a specific tribute to the vision of space exploration shown in works by Arthur C. Clarke, including 2001: A Space Odyssey.

* 1979 – The first fully functional space shuttle orbiter, Columbia, is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for its first launch.

The original name for the orbiter was Constitution but was renamed due to Star Trek fans and the personal intervention of President Gerald Ford.

NASA planned to refit the prototype orbiter Enterprise ( OV-101 ), used for flight testing, as the second operational orbiter.

Challenger was also the first orbiter to have a head-up display system for use in the descent phase of a mission.

Refitting Enterprise for spaceflight would have involved dismantling the orbiter and returning the sections to subcontractors across the country.

In mid-1976 the orbiter was used for ground vibration tests, allowing engineers to compare data from an actual flight vehicle with theoretical models.

Also, Columbia was the female symbol of the U. S. After construction, the orbiter arrived at Kennedy Space Center on March 25, 1979, to prepare for its first launch.

Columbia was also the only orbiter not delivered with head-up displays for the Commander and Pilot, although these were incorporated after STS-9.

After more than twenty organizations submitted proposals to NASA for the display of an orbiter, NASA announced that Enterprise will go to New York's Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, Discovery will go the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum, Atlantis will remain in the Visitor Complex at Kennedy Space Center, and Endeavour will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles ,.

While Space Shuttle Atlantis was refurbished and relaunched in 53 days between missions STS-51-J and STS-61-B, generally months were required to repair an orbiter for a new mission.

* March 25 – The first fully functional space shuttle orbiter, Columbia, is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center, to be prepared for its first launch.

The first experimental orbiter was delivered for atmospheric handling test flights in 1976, and the first launch took place on April 12, 1981, with Columbia and STS-1, the first Shuttle orbital flight.

Although the debris did not strike the orbiter, the program was grounded once again for this reason.

The Columbia Accident Investigation Board, in its report, noted the reduced risk to the crew when a shuttle flies to the International Space Station ( ISS ), as the station can be used as a safe haven for the crew awaiting rescue in the event that damage to the shuttle orbiter on ascent makes it unsafe for re-entry.

Prior to the closing of the Vandenberg facility, orbiters were transported from the OPF to the VAB on their undercarriages, only to be raised when the orbiter was being lifted for attachment to the SRB / ET stack.

In April 2010, the Apache Point Observatory Lunar Laser-ranging Operation ( APOLLO ) team from the University of California at San Diego used the LRO images to locate the orbiter closely enough for laser range ( distance ) measurements.

The instruments of the orbiter consisted of two vidicon cameras for imaging ( VIS ), an infrared spectrometer for water vapor mapping ( MAWD ) and infrared radiometers for thermal mapping ( IRTM ).