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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/aero-mariner2-venus

Which planet did Mariner 2 visit in 1962, the first successful planetary science mission?

Venus, flown past on December 14, 1962.

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  1. Mars
  2. Venus ✔
  3. Jupiter

Why: NASA's Mariner 2 flew past Venus in December 1962. It was the first time a spacecraft successfully studied another planet up close.

Huh, didn't know that: Mariner 2 launched in August 1962 and reached Venus less than four months later.

The dad joke
Why did Mariner 2 visit Venus? It heard the planet was hot stuff.
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References

Answer: Venus. NASA's Mariner 2 flew past Venus in December 1962. It was the first time a spacecraft successfully studied another planet up close.

  1. NASA Science, Mariner 2 science.nasa.gov/mission/mariner-2
    NASA's Mariner 2 was humanity's first successful planetary science mission.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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