What Is a Deep Space Probe?

Deep space exploration refers to the exploration that breaks away from the gravitational field of the Earth and enters the solar system space and the cosmic space. According to the definition in the "China's Space" white paper released in 2000, domestic space exploration activities on celestial bodies outside the earth are currently referred to as deep space exploration.

Deep space exploration refers to human exploration activities on the moon and celestial bodies or space environments. As an important direction of human space activities and an important way for space science and technology innovation, it is one of the current and future development priorities in the field of space.

In terms of interplanetary exploration, in the past 40 years, the United States, the former Soviet Union, the European Space Agency, and Japan have launched more than 100 interplanetary probes, both to the moon and to the moon.

Beginning in 1958, the United States and the former Soviet Union launched lunar exploration programs. Developed countries in the world and major aerospace technology have carried out various types of deep space exploration.

In the 21st century, various aerospace countries and organizations have formulated deep space exploration plans. The United States still aims to extend the territory of human activities as a long-term goal. Through continuous detection of various major celestial bodies in the solar system, it has comprehensively mastered deep space detection technology to ensure and strengthen Leading position in the aerospace field, with recent detection targets focusing on Mars and asteroids. The European Space Agency aims to achieve a manned Mars flight, and cooperates with Russia, which proposes the same goal, to achieve a Mars landing tour by 2020. Russia has proposed plans for the detection of other major celestial bodies in the solar system, with a view to reorganizing in the short term and reshaping the image of a space power. The focus of Japan's development is to implement multi-type asteroid sampling and return missions, and continuously develop new technologies to maintain its dominant position in the field of asteroid exploration. India regards enhancing space capabilities as a shortcut to realize the dream of a great country. After the success of Mars exploration in 2013, India has stepped up the development of deep space exploration, and plans to implement lunar landing patrol detection and the second Mars detection by 2020.

From the analysis of the long-range exploration goals and mission plans of various countries, it is concluded that the international deep-space exploration shows five development trends and characteristics in general: Lunar exploration is the preferred target for deep-space exploration; Mars is currently the largest hot spot for planetary exploration ; Small celestial body exploration has become one of the key development goals in the field of deep space exploration; detection methods are becoming more diverse, and gradually driven by technology to science; international cooperation models for large-scale exploration missions have become important development paths. ^[5]

Mars, as the most suitable planet outside the earth for human survival, has been favored by NASA. Although the Mars Observer mission failed in 1992, the United States launched the Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter in 1997, and in the same year also launched the Pathfinder Landing Probe, conducted a soft landing on Mars and released a 10.6 kg Mars rover. Thereafter, the United States launched the Mars Odyssey orbiter in 2001, and then successfully performed the Mars exploration rover, Opportunity and Valor rover missions, and launched the Phoenix lander to land on the Martian Arctic to investigate the existence of water, and Try to find out if there is an environment suitable for the survival of microorganisms.

The United States also continues to launch Mars orbiter. In 2005, the United States launched the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to obtain ultra-high-resolution Mars images with a resolution of more than 0.3 meters. The United States also launched an unprecedentedly advanced and complex Curiosity rover in 2011, leaving other countries far behind in the areas of soft landing and Mars rover exploration. Through high-resolution photos of the orbiter, field surveys of the lander and Mars rover, it has been confirmed that rivers existed on Mars in the past, and there are also certain water resources. This is currently difficult for manned exploration of Mars due to technical and budget issues Can be described as sending charcoal in the snow. ^{[6] The} United States and Europe attach great importance to continued investment in the field of Mars exploration, and make manned Mars exploration a long-term goal for deep space exploration. The United States plans to send astronauts to Mars around 2030.

After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Russia, which is seeking to revive, launched a Mars exploration project again, and its long-term target is also an astronaut landing; after the European Union failed to release the lander on the Mars Express spacecraft, it launched another "trace of Mars' atmospheric environment" Measure Gas Orbiter "(TGO) and try again to release the lander.

India is "awesome" in the field of deep space exploration. In 2014, the Indian "Mangallian" spacecraft successfully entered Mars orbit, becoming the first Asian country to explore Mars, and the only country that has succeeded in exploring Mars for the first time. India has ensured the success of two key deep space projects on the Moon and Mars with an annual space budget of only US $ 700 million, of which the cost of "Mangallian" is only over US $ 70 million, which is remarkable. ^[7]

Japan has also made a lot of progress in deep space exploration in the past ten years. In 2003, it launched the asteroid probe "Starling". This mission was more interesting. In the case of the failure of two small satellites, the parent star personally landed, once Lost contact with the Earth, the controller announced that the mission had failed, and was miraculously resurrected later, taking a sample of the asteroid in an unprecedented way, returning to Earth in 2010 and landing in Australia. "Bird" achievements include the use of low-energy ion engines, powered by ionized xenon jets, to achieve long-distance operation; close-up photos of asteroids, research on the structure of asteroids, and grasping from asteroids Geotechnical samples were taken, but the news of the research on the samples has not yet come out. In 2006, it cooperated with the United States to launch the "Sun-Out" solar probe. In 2007, the "Yeye Ji" lunar probe was launched. ^[8]

China is a "nova" in the field of deep space exploration in recent years. The moon exploration is the main task in the near future. The Mars exploration plan is after 2020. At the beginning of 2016, the Chinese government officially approved the Mars exploration mission, and plans to launch the Mars detection satellite in 2020 to achieve the "orbit, fall, and patrol" project step by step. If the first mission is successful, China will further carry out the Mars surface sampling and return mission, and finally realize the scientific progress of Mars from global census to local detailed investigation, landing in place analysis, and then to sample laboratory analysis. Chinese scientists have also proposed a number of space exploration programs. For example, the "Asteroid Exploration" program uses integrated detection, attachment, and sampling return to detect near-Earth target asteroids as a whole and analyze local areas in place. There is also the "Jupiter System Exploration" program, etc. ^[9] will mainly study the magnetic layer structure of Jupiter, the atmospheric model of Europa, the morphology and thickness of the ice layer on the surface of Europa, the solar wind between Venus-Earth-Jupiter Structure, and the extraterrestrial state of life of the earth and its evolutionary characteristics. ^[10]