Editing Space Race (section)

==== Venus ====
[[File:Mariner 2.jpg|thumb|Artist's impression of Mariner 2, the first successful interplanetary spacecraft]]

Venus was of great interest in the field of [[planetary science]] due to its thick and opaque atmosphere, the atmospheres of other planets being a novel area of research at the time.

In 1961 the [[Venera|Venera Programme]] was initiated by the Soviet Union, with the launch of [[Venera 1]]. The programme would go on to mark many firsts in the exploration of another planet. Despite the later successes however, [[Venera 1]] and [[Venera 2]], intended to flyby Venus, resulted in failure due to losses of contact.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Venus: Exploration - NASA Science |url=https://science.nasa.gov/venus/exploration/ |access-date=2024-12-10 |website=science.nasa.gov |date=November 9, 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Venera 1 |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1961-003A |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref>

NASA would then initiate the [[Mariner program]] with the launch of [[Mariner 1]] and [[Mariner 2]]. Mariner 1 failed shortly after launch,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mariner 1 - NASA Science |url=https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mariner-1/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=science.nasa.gov |date=December 8, 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref> however Mariner 2 would become the first man-made object to flyby another planet in December 1962 when the probe passed by Venus.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mariner 2 - NASA Science |url=https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mariner-2/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=science.nasa.gov |date=December 20, 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mariner 2 |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mariner-2/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) |language=en-US}}</ref>

Later in 1965/66, [[Venera 3]], marked the first time a man-made object made contact with another planet after it impacted Venus on March 1, 1966, despite operational difficulties resulting in loss of contact with the craft.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Venera 3 |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1965-092A |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref>

In 1967, [[Mariner 5]] flew by Venus and conducted atmospheric analysis.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mariner 5 - NASA Science |url=https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mariner-5/ |access-date=2024-12-10 |website=science.nasa.gov |date=December 20, 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref>