Mariner 5
Mariner 5 was a spacecraft of the
Mariner program that carried a complement of experiments to probe
Venus's atmosphere with
radio waves, scan its brightness in
ultraviolet light, and sample the solar particles and
magnetic field fluctuations above the
planet. It flew by Venus on
October 19,
1967 at an altitude of 3990 kilometers. With more sensitive instruments than its predecessor
Mariner 2, Mariner 5 was able to shed new light on the hot,
cloud-covered planet and on conditions in interplanetary space. Operations of Mariner 5 ended in November
1967.