50 years ago, the first probe to visit Mercury launched
Excerpt from the November 10, 1973 issue of Science News
![A photomosaic of the southern hemisphere of Mercury.](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/090723_cc_50YA-Mercury_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
Mariner 10 flew by Mercury three times from 1974 to 1975. The NASA spacecraft encountered a cratered, moonlike terrain as it mapped the planet’s surface (a photomosaic of the southern hemisphere shown).
JPL-Caltech/NASA