The new 64 meter antenna in Goldstone, California received its first signals from Mariner 4. Mariner 4 was the first spacecraft to get a close look at Mars. Before the 64 meter antenna came online, Mariner 4 recorded 25 minutes of data and downlinked images and video at a rate of 8.33 bits per second with the 26 meter antennas…
The new 64 meter antenna in Goldstone, California received its first signals from Mariner 4. Mariner 4 was the first spacecraft to get a close look at Mars. Before the 64 meter antenna came online, Mariner 4 recorded 25 minutes of data and downlinked images and video at a rate of 8.33 bits per second with the 26 meter antennas. Nicknamed the “Mars Station” from its first signals from Mars, the formal dedication of the antenna was the following month.
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