Mariner 6 and Mariner 7 were identical small robotic spacecraft that were launched on July 31, 1969 and August 5, 1969, respectively. They arrived at Mars at about the same time and completed one flyby. Mariner 6 flew over the Martian equator, and Mariner 7 flew over the southern polar region. Both had imaging equipment, and they sent back hundreds of pictures. They also analyzed the Martian atmosphere with remote sensing equipment. The data that Mariner 6 and Mariner 7 collected confirmed that the dark lanes seen on Mars from Earth were not canals, as was previously thought.