Mariner 10 was the first space mission to be sent to Mercury. Before this launch very little was known about the planet. Due to the limited knowledge of the innermost planet, the findings discovered by scientists on this mission shocked them. But because scientists became curious, this eventful mission took off. Mariner 10 was the busiest Mercury mission due to the challenges faced in space, the facts discovered about Venus and Mercury, and the current state of the spacecraft. The goals of the Mariner 10 spacecraft were the foundation for influencing a major scientific change in history. The primary objectives were the main reasons Mariner 10 took off. Measurements of environments, atmospheres, surfaces and body characteristics were to be made (“Mariner 10” Mariner 1). Mercury's nucleus had to be studied. It was necessary to explore Venus' interaction with the solar wind and how solar particles affected the planet (Howell 2). Secondary objectives included the experiments performed 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 diagonally found it to be 1.39 meters, or 4.56 feet. Depth measurements were found to be 0.457 meters or 1.5 feet (Hamilton 1). Two solar panels were strategically placed on top, both measuring 2.7 meters, otherwise known as 8.86 feet, in perimeter measurements (Hamilton 1). This eight-sided spacecraft was also equipped with...... paper halves ......(Mission 1 “Mariner 10”). The 1-10 Mariners cost about $554 million overall. Mariner 10 itself cost around 100 million dollars (“Mariner 10” Nasa 3). The spacecraft's controls and transmitters were shut down, leaving it suspended in space still orbiting the sun. The spacecraft also ran out of fuel, cutting off any information reaching NASA (Howell 4). The Mariner 10 mission was the spacecraft credited with discovering the most about Venus and Mercury. Being a mission full of firsts, this mission has left a mark in the history of science. Many experiments have been performed and tested, laying the foundation for future missions. The events that occurred on this mission helped NASA and other space scientists learn more about nearby planets. Mariner 10 formed the basis for other Mercury missions and certainly contributed greatly to science