Space probe
A space probe is a robotic spacecraft sent to explore other worlds, with no people on board.
A space probe is an uncrewed spacecraft launched to study the Sun, planets, moons, asteroids or comets. It carries cameras and scientific instruments, a radio to send its results home and a power supply, usually solar panels or, far from the Sun, a radioactive power source.
Probes can do different jobs. A flyby probe races past its target and takes measurements on the way. An orbiter circles its target for months or years. A lander touches down on the surface, and a rover drives around. A sample-return probe collects material and brings it back to Earth.
Probes have transformed the study of meteorites. Missions such as Dawn, Hayabusa and OSIRIS-REx visited the kinds of asteroid that meteorites come from, and some brought back samples. Comparing these with meteorites has confirmed many ideas, for example that the HED meteorites come from Vesta and that dark, water-rich meteorites match carbonaceous asteroids.
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Level: Beginner Ages 7 and up