On Dec. 14, 1962, NASA's Mariner 2 spacecraft flew by Venus.
The Mariner 2 spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral on Aug. 27, 1962, and It took the spacecraft three and a half months to reach Venus. NASA reported several technical problems along the way, but Mariner 2 pulled through, and passed less than 22,000 miles from the surface of Venus. This was the first time a spacecraft successfully flew by another planet.
The mission not only taught NASA about Venus, but it also helped NASA figure out how to operate a spacecraft far away from Earth.
- The 10 Weirdest Facts About Venus
- Top 10 Extreme Planet Facts
- Space History Photo: Kennedy Receives Mariner 2 Model
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Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.