Space Probes

Space probes are robot spaceships without any people inside. They travel very far to take pictures and gather information. Some have flown past every planet in our solar system. They send their data back to scientists on Earth using radio signals.

What Probes Do

Probes can do many jobs in space. Some fly past planets and take close-up photos. Others go into orbit around a planet to study it for many years. Some even land on the surface to dig in the dirt. They have cameras, sensors, and antennas to send signals back home. Probes have taught us almost everything we know about other planets.

Famous Probes

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched in 1977. They visited planets like Jupiter and Saturn. Now, they are the farthest human-made objects from Earth. Another famous probe is Cassini, which studied Saturn and its rings for many years. The New Horizons probe flew past Pluto in 2015 and sent back the first clear photos of the tiny planet.

Fun Facts

• Voyager 1 is now in interstellar space, which is beyond our solar system.
• Each Voyager carries a gold record with sounds and photos of Earth on it.
• Some probes use the gravity of planets to slingshot them faster and farther.

Did You Know?

Signals from Voyager 1 take more than 22 hours to reach Earth because it is so far away.