Mariner 5 was a spacecraft of the Mariner program that carried a complement of experiments to probe Venus' atmosphere with radio waves, scan its brightness in ultraviolet light, and sample the solar particles and magnetic field fluctuations above the planet.

Mariner 5 was actually built as a backup to Mariner 4, but after the success of the Mariner 4 mission, it was modified (by reversing and reducing the size of the solar panels and adding a thermal shield) for the Venus mission.

It was launched toward Venus on June 14, 1967 and flew by the planet on October 19 that year at an altitude of 3990 kilometres (2480 miles). With more sensitive instruments than its predecessor Mariner 2, Mariner 5 was able to shed new light on the hot, cloud-covered planet and on conditions in interplanetary space. Operations of Mariner 5 ended in November 1967.

External link

• NASA-JPL Guide to Mariner 5