Editing Mariner program (section)

==Mariners 1 and 2==
{{Main|Mariner 1|Mariner 2}}
[[File:Mariner 2 Engineering Model.jpg|thumb|Mariner 2]]
[[File:Diagram of Mariner 1 and 2 with Atlas-Agena launch vehicle.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Diagram of Mariner 1 and 2 with Atlas-Agena launch vehicle]]

[[Mariner 1]] (P-37) and [[Mariner 2]] (P-38) were two deep-space probes making up NASA's Mariner-R project. The primary goal of the project was to develop and launch two spacecraft sequentially to the near vicinity of Venus, receive communications from the spacecraft and to perform radiometric temperature measurements of the planet. A secondary objective was to make [[interplanetary magnetic field]] and/or particle measurements on the way to, and in the vicinity of, Venus.<ref name=MR_tracking /><ref name=MR_craft />  Mariner 1 (designated Mariner R-1) was launched on July 22, 1962, but was destroyed approximately 5 minutes after liftoff by the Air Force [[Range safety#Range Safety Officer|Range Safety Officer]] when its malfunctioning [[Atlas-Agena]] rocket went off course. Mariner 2 (designated Mariner R-2) was launched on August 27, 1962, sending it on a 3½-month flight to Venus. The mission was a success, and Mariner 2 became the first spacecraft to have flown by another planet.

On the way it measured for the first time the solar wind, a constant stream of charged particles flowing outward from the Sun.  It also measured interplanetary dust, which turned out to be more scarce than predicted.  In addition, Mariner 2 detected high-energy charged particles coming from the Sun, including several brief solar flares, as well as cosmic rays from outside the [[Solar System]].  As it flew by Venus on December 14, 1962, Mariner 2 scanned the planet with infrared and microwave radiometers, revealing that Venus has cool clouds and an extremely hot surface (because the bright, opaque clouds hide the planet's surface, Mariner 2 was not outfitted with a camera).<ref name="NASA"/>
* Mission: Venus flyby
* Mass: 203&nbsp;kg (446&nbsp;lb)
* Sensors: [[microwave]] and [[infrared]] radiometers, cosmic dust, solar [[Plasma (physics)|plasma]] and high-energy [[radiation]], [[magnetic field]]s
Status:
* Mariner 1 – Destroyed shortly after liftoff.
* Mariner 2 – Defunct after successful mission, occupies a [[heliocentric orbit]].