On this day in space! Aug. 27, 1962: NASA launches Mariner 2 to Venus for ambitious flyby
On Aug. 27, 1962, NASA launched Mariner 2, the world's first spacecraft to successfully visit another planet: Venus.
On August 27, 1962, NASA successfully launched Mariner 2, the first spacecraft to conduct a flyby of another planet, Venus. The mission embarked on a 3.5-month journey from Cape Canaveral, Florida, after the previous Mariner 1 mission failed during launch. During ascent, Mariner 2 experienced an electrical issue that caused the rocket to roll, but it recovered after about a minute.
Despite facing challenges such as solar panel power drops and malfunctioning gyroscopes, Mariner 2 accomplished the first U.S. space first by performing a successful Venus flyby on December 14, 1962. The spacecraft approached the planet at a distance of 21,564 miles (34,675 kilometers), collecting the first close measurements of Venus' atmosphere and temperature.
These data proved that Venus had experienced a runaway greenhouse effect in the past. Mariner 2 radio signals allowed scientists to calculate Venus' mass with great precision. While the probe lacked cameras, its achievements marked the first and only first mission to Venus.
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