Venus has been visited by more than 20 spacecraft. The first spacecraft to visit Venus was Mariner 2 in 1962. It was visited by many others, including Pioneer Venus and the Soviet Venera 7, the first spacecraft to land on another planet, Venera 9 which returned the first photographs of the surface, and Veneras 13 and 14. Most recently, the orbiting US spacecraft Magellan produced detailed maps of Venus' surface using radar.
Magellan at
Kennedy Space Center
and
an artist's view
of
Magellan at Venus
Soviet Venera 9 and 10
Venera 13
