In the summer of 1962, the United States prepared for its first mission to reach Venus. This mission represented the best opportunity for a spacecraft to reach Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor. The spacecraft design, named Mariner, was initially intended for Mars and Venus exploration, but the design wasn’t finalized in time for the 1962 Venus mission. As a solution, engineers repurposed the Ranger spacecraft, naming them Mariner 1 and Mariner 2 for this mission.
On July 22, 1962, Mariner 1 launched, and initially, all went as planned. However, soon after reaching supersonic speeds, the rocket began veering off course. Within moments, the range safety officer issued a destruct command, destroying the rocket and Mariner 1. A subsequent investigation revealed that a software error—a single misplaced symbol in the code—caused the failure. With hopes set on Mariner 2, engineers corrected the software error, and Mariner 2 launched successfully, embarking on its 3.5-month journey to Venus.
As Mariner 2 moved away from Earth, mission control encountered challenges. The Earth sensor worked, but at a lower sensitivity than anticipated, which risked losing Earth lock and communication. Just days before expected failure, the signal strength unexpectedly rose, allowing Mariner 2 to continue its mission. During the journey, engineers also had to make critical trajectory adjustments, sending commands for roll, pitch, and velocity changes that ultimately corrected Mariner 2’s path.
Mariner 2 was proving to be a significant learning experience, particularly for a 22-year-old female flight controller who helped conduct operations in a predominantly male field. Her role required her to manage critical operations shifts, often overnight, shaping her career and confidence in a groundbreaking way.
In December, Mariner 2 neared Venus but was in a fragile state. Components were overheating, sensors failed, and power was stretched to its limit. On December 14, Mariner 2 made its closest approach, flying within 20,000 miles of Venus. Though there was no camera onboard, it sent back valuable data, revealing Venus to be a harsh, inhospitable world filled with carbon dioxide and scorching surface temperatures, unlike Earth. Venus had no magnetic field or radiation belt.
The scientific findings may have been modest, but the technical success was monumental. Time Magazine celebrated it as a major achievement, marking America’s first “first” in the space race. William Pickering, the director of JPL, gained recognition, even leading Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses Parade, and meeting President Kennedy at the White House, where he presented a model of Mariner 2.
Mariner 2 continued sending data until 20 days after passing Venus, after which it went silent, becoming a permanent artifact orbiting the Sun. Inside its thermal blanket was a small American flag, discreetly placed as a symbol of the United States’ achievement in space exploration.
