The Mariner Missions were a series of space missions conducted by NASA between the 1960s and 1970s. Their primary goal was to explore the planets Mars, Venus, and Mercury. The missions provided valuable data about the atmospheres, surfaces, and geological features of these celestial bodies, significantly advancing our understanding of the solar system. The first successful mission, Mariner 2, flew by Venus in 1962, becoming the first spacecraft to collect data from another planet. Subsequent missions, like Mariner 4 and Mariner 9, focused on Mars, capturing the first images of its surface and revealing its potential for past water presence.