The MARINER probes were a series of robotic interplanetary probes launched by NASA in the 1960s and 1970s. The first of these probes, MARINER 1 and MARINER 2, were launched in 1962 and were the first spacecraft to fly by Venus and Mars, respectively. MARINER 4 was the first spacecraft to take close-up images of Mars in 1965. MARINER 5 flew by Venus in 1967 and MARINER 6 and 7 flew by Mars in 1969. MARINER 9 was the first spacecraft to orbit another planet when it arrived at Mars in 1971. These early probes laid the groundwork for future exploration of the solar system.