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Mariner 2

Mariner 2

Mariner 2 became the first successful mission to another planet when it flew by Venus on December 14, 1962.

Mission Statistics

Launch Date

Aug 27, 1962

Type

Flyby Spacecraft

Target

Venus

Status

Past

About the mission

Mariner 2 became the first successful mission to another planet when it flew by Venus on December 14, 1962. The spacecraft made a number of discoveries about the planet and marked another first by measuring the solar wind, a constant stream of charged particles flying outward from the sun.

Five years later, Mariner 5 followed up on Mariner 2's study of Venus with a closer look at the planet's atmosphere.

Instruments

  • Microwave radiometer
  • Infrared radiometer
  • Three axis fluxgate magnetometer
  • Cosmic ray detector
  • Cosmic dust detector
  • Solar plasma spectrometer
  • Particle detector
› Fact Sheet
› Mariner 2 Information on Solar System Exploration
› Mariner 2 Information on National Space Science Data Center

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