Mariner 2 Stories
In the early 1960s, in addition to taking on the challenge to land men on the Moon by the end of the decade, NASA also set its sights on exploring our planetary neighbors. The agency gave responsibility for planetary exploration…
Five years ago today, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft made history. After a voyage of nearly 10 years and more than 3 billion miles, the intrepid piano-sized probe flew within 7,800 miles of Pluto. For the first time ever, we saw…
In 1962, Mariner 2 completed the first successful close-up observations of another planet when it flew by Venus. The spacecraft made a number of important scientific discoveries not only about the planet but also about interplanetary space during its transit. …
NASA's Mariner 2 was the world's first successful interplanetary spacecraft. Launched August 27, 1962, on an Atlas-Agena rocket, Mariner 2 passed within about 34,000 kilometers (21,000 miles) of Venus.