<P> The first successful probe to fly by another Solar System body was Luna 1 , which sped past the Moon in 1959 . Originally meant to impact with the Moon , it instead missed its target and became the first artificial object to orbit the Sun . Mariner 2 was the first probe to fly by another planet , Venus , in 1962 . The first successful flyby of Mars was made by Mariner 4 in 1965 . Mariner 10 first passed Mercury in 1974 . </P>
<P> The first successful probe to fly by another Solar System body was Luna 1 , which sped past the Moon in 1959 . Originally meant to impact with the Moon , it instead missed its target and became the first artificial object to orbit the Sun . Mariner 2 was the first probe to fly by another planet , Venus , in 1962 . The first successful flyby of Mars was made by Mariner 4 in 1965 . Mariner 10 first passed Mercury in 1974 . </P>
when did exploration to the inner solar system begin
when did exploration to the inner solar system begin
1959
1959