Date
.
Dec. 22, 1965
NASA Headquarters authorized a 1969
Martian flyby project for two Mariner spacecraft to be
managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
Feb. 11, 1966
The Mariner Mars 69 spacecraft system
design team held its first meeting.
Feb. 28, 1966
NASA Hq. approved the Mariner Mars 69
project approval document.
Apr. 7, 1966
NASA limited the experiment
candidates to Mars-oriented investigations.
May-Nov. 1966
NASA issued Phase I requests for
proposals (RFP).
May 26, 1966
NASA selected experiments for the two
spacecraft.
July 31, 1966
Program officials completed a first
draft of mission requirements.
Sept.1966
Program officials completed a final
draft of the project development plan.
Nov. 15, 1966
JPL completed a spacecraft
configuration mockup.
Jan. 10, 1967
The mission operations design team
held its first meeting.
Jan.-Mar. 1967
JPL conducted a subsystem preliminary
design review.
July-Nov. 1967
JPL conducted spacecraft subsystem
detail design reviews.
July 15, 1967
Program officials made concessions to
meet FY 1968 budget cuts (they delete the approach system
guidance subsystem in Sept. for the same reason).
Nov. 1967
The subcontractor delivered the
Centaur launch vehicle engines for AC-19.
Nov. 28. 1967
Officials conducted a launch vehicle
system design review.
Dec. 8, 1967
The subcontractor delivered the first
spacecraft octagon structure to JPL.
Jan. 22, 1968
Program officials declared that the
spacecraft preliminary design phase had been
completed.
Mar. 1968
The subcontractor delivered the
Centaur engines for AC-20.
Apr. 1968
Contractors completed the assembly of
AC-19.
May 22, 1968
Team members delivered the first
flight spacecraft structure to the spacecraft assembly
facility.
June 5, 1968
NASA approved AC-19.
June 15, 1968
Contractors completed the assembly of
AC-20.
June 18, 1968
Team members delivered the second
flight spacecraft structure to the spacecraft assembly
facility.
July 20, 1968
NASA approved AC-20.
Sept.1968
Contractors delivered AC-19 to the
Kennedy Space Center.
Sept. 26, 1968
NASA held a project science
review.
Nov.-Dec. 1968
Contractors delivered AC-20 to
KSC.
Dec. 1968- Jan. 1969
JPL delivered three Mariner 69
spacecraft to KSC.
Jan. 21, 1969
NASA conducted joint flight
acceptance tests with AC-19 and Mariner F.
Jan. 24, 1969
NASA conducted joint flight
acceptance tests with AC-20 and Mariner G.
Feb. 1969
NASA conducted launch readiness
reviews at KSC, NASA Hq., and JPL.
Feb. 1969
While mating AC-19 and Mariner F,
technicians accidentally depressurized the Atlas stage;
officials reassigned AC-20 to Mariner F.
Feb. 18, 1969
Technicians mated Mariner F and
AC-20.
Feb. 20, 1969
Contractors delivered a new Atlas
stage for AC-19.
Feb. 22, 1969
NASA verified Mariner F ready for
launch.
Feb. 25, 1969
NASA launched Mariner 6
successfully.
Mar. 20, 1969
NASA verified Mariner G ready for
launch.
Mar. 27, 1969
NASA launched Mariner 7
successfully.
July 31, 1969
Mariner 6 flew by Mars, the closest
distance to the planet being 3200 kilometers.
Aug. 5, 1969
Mariner 7 flew by Mars.