Mariner 10 was the first space mission sent to Mercury. Before this launch, very little was known about the planet. Due to how little is known about the innermost planet, the discoveries made by scientists during this mission shocked them. But because scientists became curious, this eventful mission took off. Mariner 10 has been the most eventful Mercury mission due to the challenges faced in space, the facts discovered about Venus and Mercury, and the current status of the spacecraft. The goals of the Mariner 10 spacecraft were the foundations of great scientific change. in history. The primary objectives were the main reasons why Mariner 10 took off. Measurements of environments, atmospheres, surfaces and body characteristics were to take place (“Mariner 10” Mariner 1). Mercury's core needed to be studied. Venus' interaction with the solar wind and how solar particles affected the planet needed to be explored (Howell 2). Secondary objectives included ongoing experiments and the process of using the gravitational pull of one planet to reach another ("Mariner 10" Mariner 1). The structure of the spacecraft greatly influenced the impact of this mission on the history of science. The spacecraft itself weighed 503 kilograms, or 1,108 pounds. The fuel weighed twenty-nine kilograms, or sixty-four pounds. The adapter weighed thirty kilograms or sixty-six pounds (Hamilton 1). Measuring the spacecraft's diagonal gave 1.39 meters, or 4.56 feet. Depth measurements were 0.457 meters, or 1.5 feet (Hamilton 1). Two solar panels were strategically placed at the top, both measuring 2.7 meters, or 8.86 feet, according to perimeter measurements (Hamilton 1). This eight-sided spacecraft was also equipped with...... middle of paper ......("Mariner 10" Mission 1). The Mariners 1-10 cost a total of about $554 million. Mariner 10 itself cost around $100 million (“Mariner 10” NASA 3). The spacecraft's controls and transmitters were turned off, leaving it suspended in space, still orbiting the sun. The spacecraft also ran out of fuel, preventing any information from reaching NASA (Howell 4). The Mariner 10 mission was the spacecraft credited with further discoveries about Venus and Mercury. Being one of many firsts, this mission left a mark in the history of science. Numerous experiments were carried out and tested, laying the foundations for future missions. The events that took place during this mission helped NASA and other scientists who study space learn more about our neighboring planets. Mariner 10 served as the basis for other Mercury missions and certainly contributed greatly to science.