| Launched: | August 27, 1962 |
| Mission: | The investigation of interplanetary space between the Earth and Venus |
| Status: | Mission Completed |
| Organization: | NASA - USA |
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Mariner 2 was the first successful interplanetary space craft. It reached within 34,800 kilometers (21,600 miles) from the surface of Venus on December 14, 1962 and became the first spacecraft to flyby another planet and return useful scientific information to the Earth. Mariner 2, with its six instruments, measured the temperature at Venus for the first time. It indicated that Venus' surface temperature was very hot about 500 degree Celsius (900 degrees Farenheit). Mariner 2 also discovered that Venus has no magnetic fields or radiation belts. Contact with Mariner 2 was lost on January 2, 1963, when it was 86.9 million kilometers from the Earth.
Monday, 30-Aug-1999 16:51:21 CDT
CSR/TSGC Team Web