Space probe
Aspace probeis an unmanned space mission, usually a smallspacecraftsent out to find out information about aplanetor other far away thing. As a tool ofspace explorationa planetary probe may land on the planet, ororbitaround it, or merely fly by closely. Probes useradio wavesto send information back toEarthor sometimes to a mannedspacecraft.Aspace observatoryleaves the Earth to look at distant objects, but does not go near the objects, so it is not called a "probe".
The first successful space probe to explore a planet isMariner 2,which was launched in August 1962 to fly by Venus. Over time, more space probes were launched, and more information about our solar system was gathered. A notable space probe isVoyager 2,which flew byJupiter,Saturn,UranusandNeptunebefore leaving theSolar Systeminto interstellar space, a place between the stars.
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