|EXPLORING THE PLANETS| \Name:\ Pioneer 5 (USA) \Launch date:\ March 11, 1960 \Mission:\ First interplanetary probe; transmitted data from a distance of 36.5 million Km. \Name:\ Mariner 2 (USA) \Launch date:\ August 27, 1962 \Mission:\ Passage close to Venus; finds a very dense atmosphere, high temperatures and no magnetic field. \Name:\ Mariner 4 (USA) \Launch date:\ November 28, 1964 \Mission:\ First reconnaissance of Mars; transmitted 21 pictures of a surface with craters, without water or canals; mainly CO2 in the atmosphere; pressure 1% of the Earth's value. \Name:\ Luna 13 (USSR) \Launch date:\ December 21, 1966 \Mission:\ Soft landing on the moon at 18° 52' N x 62° 3' W. Transmitted panoramic pictures and data about the radiation and consistency of the ground. \Name:\ Venus 4 (USSR) \Launch date:\ January 12, 1967 \Mission:\ First successful descent into the Venusian atmosphere; transmitted data up to 25 Km from the surface; weight of the descent capsule: 383 Kg. \Name:\ Surveyor 5 (USA) \Launch date:\ September 8, 1967 \Mission:\ Soft landing on the moon at 1° 25' N x 22° 15 ' E. Transmitted 18 006 television pictures. First chemical analysis of the ground. \Name:\ Apollo 11 (USA) \Launch date:\ July 16, 1969 \Mission:\ Man's descent to the Moon. The Apollo lunar missions will continue: Apollo 12 (November 12-24, 1969), Apollo 14 (January 31, 1970 - February 9, 1971), Apollo 16 (April 16-27, 1972), Apollo 17 (December 7-19, 1972). \Name:\ Zond 7 (USSR) \Launch date:\ August 7, 1969 \Mission:\ Passage around the Moon. Return to the Soviet Union. \Name:\ Venus 7 (USSR) \Launch date:\ August 17, 1970 \Mission:\ Descent in the Venusian atmosphere: weight 495 Kg.; this was the first probe to reach the surface undamaged. \Name:\ Mariner 9 (USA) \Launch date:\ May 30, 1971 \Mission:\ First probe to complete a successful reconnaissance mission to Mars; transmitted 7 000 photographs (of the surface and its satellites). \Name:\ Pioneer 10 (USA) \Launch date:\ March 3, 1972 \Mission:\ First successful passage close to Jupiter. \Name:\ Venus 8 (USSR) \Launch date:\ March 27, 1972 \Mission:\ Descent into the Venusian atmosphere; weight 495 Kg.; transmitted data about the surface and the atmosphere (from the illuminated side). \Name:\ Pioneer 11 (USA) \Launch date:\ April 6, 1973 \Mission:\ Passage close to Jupiter; first successful passage close to Saturn, with detailed pictures of the rings. \Name:\ Mariner 10 (USA) \Launch date:\ November 3, 1973 \Mission:\ First television pictures during a passage of Venus; then three passages close to Mercury. \Name:\ Venus 9 (USSR) \Launch date:\ June 8, 1975 \Mission:\ Descent on Venus; transmitted data and the first pictures from the surface; the orbiting module also transmitted data; spherical descent capsule: 1 560 Kg.; useful load 660 Kg. \Name:\ Venus 10 (USSR) \Launch date:\ June 14, 1975 \Mission:\ Descent on Venus; transmitted data and pictures from the surface; the orbiting module also transmitted data; spherical descent capsule: 1 560 Kg.; useful load 660 Kg. \Name:\ Viking 1 (USA) \Launch date:\ August 20, 1975 \Mission:\ The module in orbit around Mars transmitted data and pictures; first successful descent on Mars. Transmitted pictures and data: Orbiter 2 224 Kg., Lander 576 Kg. (on the Martian surface). \Name:\ Viking 2 (USA) \Launch date:\ September 9, 1975 \Mission:\ The module in orbit around Mars and the descent module transmitted pictures and data: Orbiter 2 224 Kg., Lander 576 Kg. (on the Martian surface). \Name:\ Voyager 1 (USA) \Launch date:\ August 20, 1977 \Mission:\ Exploration during passage of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Transmitted data and pictures. \Name:\ Voyager 2 (USA) \Launch date:\ September 5, 1977 \Mission:\ Exploration of Jupiter and Saturn; transmitted data and pictures. Discovered volcanoes on Io, Jupiter's ring, new satellites and structures of Saturn's rings. \Name:\ Pioneer-Venus 1 (USA) \Launch date:\ May 20, 1978 \Mission:\ Orbits around Venus; transmitted pictures and data. \Name:\ Pioneer-Venus 2 (USA) \Launch date:\ September 5, 1977 \Mission:\ Multiple probe; released 4 descent capsules; one transmitted data from the surface of Venus. \Name:\ Venus 13 (USSR) \Launch date:\ \Mission:\ Passage close to Venus; the descent capsule obtained the first color pictures of the surface and analyzed them. \Name:\ Venus 14 (USSR) \Launch date:\ November 4, 1981 \Mission:\ Passage close to Venus; the descent capsule obtained color pictures of the surface and analyzed them. \Name:\ Magellan (USA) \Launch date:\ May 4, 1989 \Mission:\ Entered orbit around Venus, explored the planet starting in August 1990 with radar that mapped almost the entire surface. \Name:\ Galileo (USA) \Launch date:\ October 18, 1989 \Mission:\ Flew by Venus in February 1990, took close-up pictures of the asteroid Gaspra and was assigned to explore Jupiter. \Name:\ Ulysses (USA) \Launch date:\ October 6, 1990 \Mission:\ Designed to study the Sun, in particular its polar areas.