Today in Space - July 14, 1965:
NASA’s Mariner 4 captured humanity’s first close-up images of Mars. After a 228-day, 134-million-mile journey, it sent 22 grainy photos, revealing a cratered, barren surface and a thin CO2 atmosphere, debunking myths of Martian canals.
This flyby sparked decades of Red Planet exploration, leading to rovers and orbiters. Mariner 4’s 256 KB computer, less powerful than a modern smartwatch, processed data flawlessly, proving NASA’s ability to navigate interplanetary space with precision.
