On August 27, 1962, NASA launched the Mariner 2 spacecraft on a mission to Venus. It became the first successful spacecraft to conduct a flyby of another planet. Mariner 2 collected data on Venus’s temperature, atmosphere, and environment. The mission showed that Venus’s surface conditions were extremely hot and harsh. Its success validated techniques for interplanetary travel and deep-space communication. Mariner 2’s achievements helped solidify U.S. leadership in early planetary exploration.
