Venus was first visited in 1962 by Mariner 2, which flew by the planet. After many failed probes, the Russian spacecraft Venera 7 reached Venus in 1970, becoming the first spacecraft to land on the surface of another planet.

And a later mission, Venera 14, transmitted a couple of striking photographs of the stark landscape before succumbing to the hot, corrosive, high-pressure environment.

Venus is a world probably best seen at a safe distance. The Magellan spacecraft, which orbited Venus from 1990 to 1994, mapped 98% of Venus's surface using radar.