On Aug. 27, 1962, NASA launched Mariner 2, the world's first successful interplanetary spacecraft. Space History Archives👉 https://space-com.visitlink.me/qOOKk2 Mariner 2 flew by Venus after a 3½-month voyage through space. The mission launched just one month after the Mariner 1 mission failed during launch. After departing from Cape Canaveral, Mariner 2 almost met the same fate when an electrical problem with the Atlas-Agena rocket caused it to start rolling, which made it unable to respond to

NASA's first space photos restored in stunning detail 👩🏻‍🚀📸 ON 20 February 1962, @NASA astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth, but there were signs of trouble. As Glenn’s Friendship 7 spacecraft returned from its historic flight, a warning light indicated its heat shield had unlatched, risking complete incineration. This image captures Glenn at the moment he reenters Earth’s atmosphere, pieces of the burning spacecraft casting a fiery orange glow on his face. Fortunate