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.
