Key Takeaways:
- Mariner 1 and 2, twin spacecraft developed from the Ranger lunar probe and equipped with seven instruments, were designed for a joint mission to Venus; however, Mariner 1 failed minutes after its July 22, 1962 launch due to a rocket malfunction.
- Mariner 2 successfully launched on August 27, 1962, and during its 110-day, 293-million-kilometer journey to Venus, it confirmed the existence of the solar wind.
- On December 14, 1962, Mariner 2 executed the first successful interplanetary mission, performing a 42-minute flyby of Venus at approximately 34,000 kilometers.
- Scientific data from Mariner 2 indicated Venus possesses an extremely hot surface with a cold atmosphere, a dense and highly pressurized atmosphere, and an absence of a magnetic field, collectively characterizing an inhospitable environment.
Developed together, the twin Mariner 1 and 2 spacecraft were based on the Ranger lunar probe and planned for a joint mission to our closest neighboring planet. The probes featured seven instruments for studying Venus’ atmosphere, temperature, and magnetic field. On July 22, 1962, Mariner 1 launched, but the spacecraft was destroyed only minutes into its first flight when its rocket went off course. Mariner 2’s launch on Aug. 27 was successful, though, and it set off for Venus. (En route, it confirmed the existence of the solar wind proposed by Eugene Parker in 1958.)
Finally, after a journey of 110 days and 182 million miles (293 million kilometers), the craft arrived at Venus. On Dec. 14, 1962, it executed the first successful interplanetary mission, flying by at about 21,000 miles (34,000 km) and scanning the planet for 42 minutes. Among other data, Mariner 2 showed that Venus was extremely hot, with the heat coming from its surface, though its atmosphere remained cold. Mariner 2 also revealed that the venusian atmosphere was very dense and pressurized far beyond Earth’s. These conditions, as well as the lack of a magnetic field, showed that Venus was inhospitable.
