Mariner 10 is launched, flying past Venus on its Mercury flyby, transmitting 4,165 images. Its orbit was suggested by the brilliant intuition of Professor Bepi Colombo of the Institute of Applied Mechanics in Padua. Mercury 10 thus made a first Venus flyby, followed by a first Mercury flyby, followed by a second and a third Mercury flyby, thus multiplying the observation opportunities. The mission was very limited in budget: only $98 million. It would ultimately cost $97 million. The subsequent Mariner 11 and 12 missions were renamed, thus terminating the Mariner program. Mariner 11 and 12 are now better known as Voyager 1 and 2.
