Astronomy: The Tools of the Trade: Probes

Sometimes, you just can't get enough information from tools we keep on the earth, so Astronomers send tools out to explore space for us.  Some of these are Space Probes.

Check here to learn about probes: http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/space_level1/probes.html
To learn more about specific probes and their missions, look here: http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/space/space.probes/frameset.exclude.html or
here:  http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/space_level2/probes.html

In these animations, watch a Mars probe launch:

http://marsrover.nasa.gov/gallery/video/movies/RoverAnimPart1.mov


land:

http://marsrover.nasa.gov/gallery/video/movies/RoverAnimPart2.mov

How Mars Rovers work:

http://marsrover.nasa.gov/gallery/video/movies/mer_rovernav_240Cap.mov



And get to work:

http://marsrover.nasa.gov/gallery/video/movies/RoverAnimPart3.mov


And in 2010:



Here is a fun worksheet (with a code!) about probes: http://www.kidsastronomy.com/worksheet/worksheet4.htm