Definition

1. Noun:
   • A robotic spacecraft that travels beyond Earth's orbit to explore celestial bodies and collect scientific data: A "space probe" is an uncrewed vehicle designed to investigate objects and phenomena in outer space, such as planets, moons, comets, or the Sun. It is equipped with scientific instruments and transmits its findings back to Earth.

Usage

• A "space probe" is used to refer to the spacecraft itself and its mission of exploration.
  • The Voyager 1 space probe has left our solar system.
  • Scientists launched a space probe to study the atmosphere of Jupiter.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The New Horizons space probe provided the first close-up images of Pluto.
  • Data from the space probe confirmed the presence of water ice on Mars.

Advanced Usage

• "to deploy a space probe": to launch and send a space probe on its mission.
  • The agency plans to deploy a space probe to orbit Venus.
• "deep-space probe": a space probe designed to travel very far from Earth, often beyond the asteroid belt.
  • Voyager 2 is a famous deep-space probe.

Variants and Related Words

• Spacecraft (n): a vehicle used for travel in outer space. (This is a broader category that includes crewed vehicles and space probes.)
• Orbiter (n): a type of space probe designed to orbit a planet or moon.
• Lander (n): a type of space probe designed to touch down on the surface of a celestial body.
• Flyby probe (n): a space probe that gathers data during a close pass of a celestial body without entering orbit.

Synonyms

• Uncrewed spacecraft: A vehicle for space travel without a human crew.
• Robotic explorer: A machine that autonomously or via remote control explores an environment.

Related Phrases

• "to send a probe": to launch a space probe.
  • The country aims to send a probe to the Moon.
• "probe data": the scientific information transmitted back to Earth by a space probe.
  • Analyzing the probe data took several months.

Related Concepts

• Mission control: The team on Earth that operates and communicates with the space probe.
• Telemetry: The process of recording and transmitting the readings of an instrument (a key function of a space probe).

Noun

1. a rocket-propelled guided missile that can escape the earth's atmosphere; makes observations of the solar system that cannot be made by terrestrial observation