Mariner 5 was a spacecraft of the Mariner program that carried a complement of experiments to probe Venus' atmosphere by radio occultation, measure the hydrogen Lyman-alpha spectrum, and sample the solar particles and magnetic field fluctuations above the planet. Its goals were to measure interplanetary and Venusian magnetic fields, charged particles, plasma, radio refractivity and UV emissions of the Venusian atmosphere.
Mariner 5
Launch of Mariner 5
The Mariner program was conducted by the American space agency NASA to explore other planets. Between 1962 and late 1973, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) designed and built 10 robotic interplanetary probes named Mariner to explore the inner Solar System - visiting the planets Venus, Mars and Mercury for the first time, and returning to Venus and Mars for additional close observations.
Launch of Mariner 1 in 1962
Dr. William H. Pickering, (center) JPL Director, presents a Mariner 2 spacecraft model to President John F. Kennedy in 1963. NASA Administrator James Webb is standing directly behind the Mariner model.
Mariner 2
Diagram of Mariner 1 and 2 with Atlas-Agena launch vehicle