When is Red Planet Day?
Tuesday November 28thEvery year on November 28th, Red Planet Day commemorates the launch of Spacecraft Mariner 4 on November 28th. It's also a day to learn more about Mars, which is also known as the red planet.
Spacecraft Mariner 4 became the first successful flyby of Mars after three previous attempts. The spacecraft was launched on November 28, 1964, and it reached Mars on July 14, 1965. The successful mission took in 22 photographs of the Martian surface. These photos were the first-ever close-up photos to photograph deep space. This mission, as well as several others that followed, has helped us learn more about the red planet.
Here are some more interesting facts about this planet: Here are a few more interesting facts about this planet.
- It's the iron oxide on the planet's surface that makes it red