This Day in History December 14, 1962

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It's hard to believe that it has not been such a long time ago that we had pictures like this.  And this picture of Venus comes from the Mariner 2, the backup for Mariner 1 which failed shortly after its launch towards Venus.  In truth, the spacecraft should have been described as a probe due to its small size.  It took just over three and a half months to reach Venus.

On this date in 1962, Mariner 2 finally reach Venus.  It was not equipped with cameras due to the thick clouds surrounding Venus.  Using infared and microwave radiometers, it discovered that the clouds surrounding Venus were cool, but the temperature of the planet's surface was around 900 degrees Fahrenheit.  While it found no magnetic field, later probes confirmed the assumption concerning their existence.

Mariner 2 was tracked until January 3, 1963, when all contact was lost.  It went into orbit around the sun, which is where it remains to this day.  And in case you are interested, the cost of the mission was about $554 million.

For more information, kindly check out:
http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Mariner_2
http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/12/1214mariner2-venus/
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1962-041A