A space probe is a scientific space exploration mission in which a spacecraft leaves Earth and explores space. It may approach the Moon, enter interplanetary, flyby or orbit other bodies, or approach interstellar space. Space probes are a form of robotic spacecraft.
See list of probes by operational status for a list of active probes; the space agencies of the USSR (now Russia and Ukraine), the United States, the European Union, Japan, China and India have in the aggregate launched probes to several planets and moons of the solar system as well as to a number of asteroids and comets.
Once a probe has left the vicinity of Earth, its trajectory will likely take it along an orbit around the Sun similar to the Earth's orbit. To reach another planet, the simplest method, but wasteful of fuel, would be to head straight for it. More complex techniques, such as gravitational slingshots, can be more fuel-efficient, though they may require the probe to spend more time in transit. A technique using very little propulsion, but possibly requiring a considerable amount of time, is to follow a trajectory on the Interplanetary Transport Network.[1]
First unmanned robotic sample return probe from Moon.
First rover on Moon.
First probe to Mercury.
Probe from the Soviet Union was the first man-made spacecraft to impact on another planet (Venus).
The Venera 7 probe was the first man-made spacecraft to successfully soft landing on another planet (Venus) and to transmit data from there back to Earth.
Upon its arrival at Mars on November 13, 1971, Mariner 9 became the first space probe to maintain orbit around another planet.[2]
First soft landing on Mars.
First rover on Mars.
The Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity surface and geology, and searched for clues to past water activity on Mars. They were each launched in 2003 and landed in 2004. As of January 24, 2009, both Spirit and Opportunity have lasted for more than five years on Mars—when they were intended to last only three months. On February 6, 2007, Opportunity had traversed more than 10 km (6.2 mi) on the surface of Mars.[3]
First multinational interplanetary probes.
First probe to comet.
First balloons in atmosphere of Venus.
First non-US non-Soviet interplanetary probe.
First UV-observation probe for comet.
First probe passed cometary coma.
First solar wind sample return probe from sun-earth L1.
First sample return probe from comet tail.
First probe to asteroid with landing.
First sample return probe from asteroid.
The Rosetta space probe has flown by two asteroids and is aiming to rendezvous and explore comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It is scheduled to arrive at the comet in 2014.[4]
First probe to Jupiter.
First probe for 2 planets and first probe to Saturn.
Voyager 1 is a 733-kilogram probe launched September 5, 1977. It is currently[update] still operational, making it the longest-lasting mission of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It visited Jupiter and Saturn and was the first probe to provide detailed images of the moons of these planets.
Voyager 1 is the farthest human-made object from Earth, traveling away from both the Earth and the Sun at a relatively faster speed than any other probe. As of July 23, 2010, Voyager 1 is over 17 terameters (1.7×1013 meters, or 1.7×1010 km, 110 AU, 15.7 light-hours, or 10.5 billion miles) from the Sun.[5]
Voyager 2 first probe for 4 planets and first probe to Uranus and Neptune.
First landing on Titan
First probe to be launched to Pluto
First probe to Jupiter without atomic battery, launched August 8, 2011.
Along with Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, and its sister space probe Voyager 2, Voyager 1 is now an interstellar probe. Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have both achieved solar escape velocity, meaning that their trajectories will not return them to the solar system.
Examples of space probe imaging telescope/cameras (focused on visible spectrum).
| Name | Aperture cm (in.) |
Type | Where | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter — HiRISE | 50 cm (19.7″) | R/C | Mars orbit | 2005 |
| Mars Global Surveyor — MOC[6] | 35 cm (13.8″) | R/C | Mars orbit | 1996–2006 |
| New Horizons — LORRI | 20.8 cm (8.2″) | R/C | Space (33+ AU from Earth) | 2006 |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter LROC-NAC[7] | 19.5 cm (7.68″) | Reflector | Lunar orbit | 2009 |
| Galileo - Solid State Imager[8] | 17.65 cm (6.95″) | Reflector | Jupiter | 1989-2003 |
| Voyager 1/2, ISS-NAC[9] | 17.6 cm (6.92″) | Catadioptric | Space | 1977 |
| Mariner 10 - TV Photo Experiment (x2)[10] | 15 cm (5.9″) | Reflector | Space | 1973-1975 |
| Deep Space 1 — MICAS[11] | 10 cm ( 3.94″) | Reflector | Solar orbit | 1998-2001 |
| Voyager 1/2, ISS-WAC[9] | 6 cm (2.36″) | Lens | Space | 1977 |
| MESSENGER MDIS-WAC[12] | 3 cm (1.18″) | Lens | Mercury orbit | 2004 |
| MESSENGER MDIS-NAC[12] | 2.5 cm (0.98″) | R/C | Mercury orbit | 2004 |
| Dawn Framing Camera (FC1/FC2)[13] | 2 cm (0.8″) | Lens | Asteroid belt | 2007 |
Image forming systems on space probes typically have a multitude of specifications, but aperture can be useful because it constrains the best diffraction limit and light gathering area.
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