A FEW MOMENTS IN AIR HISTORY
Mariner 2 Venus Probe
(First Spacecraft to Study Another Planet )
On December 14, 1962, useful scientific information was radioed to Earth from another planet for the first time. The unmanned Mariner 2 spacecraft, with its six scientific instruments, passed within 34,800 kilometers or 21,600 miles of Venus. Mariner 2 indicated that Venus is very hot and has no measurable magnetic fields or radiation belts. On the way to Venus, Mariner 2's instruments detected and measured the radiation, magnetic fields and dust of interplanetary space. Contact with Mariner 2 was lost on January 2, 1963.
For more info on Mariner 2, check this site out.