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This American mission was the first to use the gravitational pull of one planet to reach another planet. In this case, the Mariner 10 gathered data from Venus and then bent its flight path toward Mercury. It then took up a solar orbit.
The Mariner 10 was an American mission launched on November 3, 1973 . It was the first mission to provide information about the planet Mercury. The spacecraft first gathered detailed information on Venus as it flew by, using a filter that allowed it to produce the first clear pictures of Venus's clouds. It took approximately 4,000 photographs, revealing a nearly round planet surrounded by smooth cloud layers. It also performed atmospheric analyses as it passed.
The Mariner 10 then used a cleverly incorporated technique. Using the gravity of Venus, it bent its flight path toward Mercury. The spacecraft was then able to photograph Mercury, revealing an intensely cratered surface with a faint atmosphere composed mostly of helium.
The Mariner 10 then entered a solar orbit, which included two more encounters with Mercury. The mission ended on March 24, 1975 , when the onboard fuel was depleted. This mission cost approximately 100 million US dollars.
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