On this day in space! Aug. 27, 1962: NASA launches Mariner 2 to Venus for ambitious flyby

On Aug. 27, 1962, NASA launched Mariner 2, the world's first spacecraft to successfully visit another planet. Mariner 2 flew by Venus after a 3.5-month voyage through space. The mission launched just one month after the Mariner 1 mission failed during launch. After departing from Cape Canaveral, Florida, 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 any guidance commands from mission contro