MARINER 2 VENUS PROBE
(replica)
First Spacecraft to Study Another Planet
On December 14, 1962, Mariner
2 passed within 34,800 kilometers (21,600 miles) of Venus. The 109-day
flight covered a distance of 58 million kilometers (36 million miles). For the
first time, useful scientific information was radioed to Earth from the
vicinity of another planet. Mariner 2 indicated that Venus is very hot,
perhaps more than 427°C (800°F), and it has no measurable
magnetic fields or radiation belts. Contact with Mariner 2 was lost on January
2, 1963; it is now in orbit around the Sun.
Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Height: |
3.7 m (12 ft) |
Width: |
5 m (16 ft 6 in) |
Weight: |
203 kg (447 lb) |
Manufacturer: |
Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
Launch vehicle: |
Atlas-Agena B |