Exploration of Mercury
Exploration of Mercury
The planet closest to the sun came under analysis when the United States in October 1973
sent Mariner 10 on a trip through the inner solar system. Mariner 10 in Febraury 1974
passed by Venus and utilized its gravity to go into a solar orbit. In March Mariner 10 came
within 430 mi (692 km) of Mercury, supplying the first pictures of Mercury’s moonlike,
cratered surface. On its next meeting with Mercury in September, Mariner 10 discovered a
completely unnoticed magnetic field. On Mariner 10’s third and last meeting in March
1975, the spacecraft came within 197 mi (317 km).
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