Mariner 2

Mariner 2 engineering model, National Air and Space Museum This full-size test unit matches the spacecraft that flew past Venus on December 14, 1962, making the first successful visit to another planet. Two wing-like solar panels and a dish antenna hang off a six-sided frame. There was no camera on board; instead, Mariner 2 scanned Venus with radiometers and found cool clouds sitting over an extremely hot surface.