The document provides information on the planets in our solar system from Mercury to Pluto. It discusses each planet's key facts such as size, distance from the sun, and notable features. The document also summarizes past and current space missions to each planet, including flybys and orbiters sent to gather data and images of their surfaces.
3. MERCURY
closest planet to our sun
smallest planet in the solar system
named after a roman god
Orbits the sun ever 88 days
Has zero moons
cratered terrain and smooth plains
4. • The only spacecraft to come close to Mercury
was Mariner 10 from 1974 to 1975, which was
only able to map 40%–45% of the planet's
surface.
5. VENUS
second closest planet to the sun
located between our Earth and
Mercury
named after the Roman goddess of
love and beauty.
A rocky, dusty, waterless expanse of
mountains, canyons, and plains
6. • The Magellan Spacecraft took 15 months to
reach Venus. It was inserted in orbit around
Venus on August 10, 1990.
7. Earth
Third planet from the Sun
The fifth largest planet in the solar system
Name comes from old English and
German
Over 4.5 billion years old
Diameter 12,800 km
8. • 2,271 satellites currently in orbit. Russia has
the most satellites currently in orbit, with
1,324 satellites, followed by the U.S. with 658.
space-ships (spacecraft).
9. MARS
reddish in color
named after the god of war of the
ancient Romans
only planet whose surface can be
seen in detail from the Earth
fourth closest planet to the Sun
and the next planet beyond the
10. • Mars was explored in flybys by Mariner 4, 6
and 7 in the 1960s and by the orbiting
Mariner 9 in 1971. Mars Pathfinder landed on
the planet on July 4, 1997, delivering a mobile
robot rover that explored the immediate
vicinity.
12. • Galileo Spacecraft was the first Planet Jupiter
Obiter and the first outer solar system orbiter.
It was launched on 18th October, 1989
towards planet Jupiter. The Galileo Spacecraft
mission ended on 12 September 2003.
14. • Saturn has been visited in flybys in the 1970s
by NASA's Pioneer 11 and in 1980-81 by the
Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft.
• The Cassini spacecraft, launched in 1997
arrived at Saturn in July 2004. The Hugens
probe will explore the moon -Titan.
Voyager 1
Pioneer 11
15. Uranus
third largest planet in the solar system
seventh planet from the sun.
has rings like Planet Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune.
Moons: 27
Named after the Greek god of the sky.
Uranus is the farthest planet that can be seen
without a telescope.
16. • The only spacecraft to visit Planet Uranus was
the Voyager 2 spacecraft in a flyby in 1986. It
discovered 10 moons and two rings in
addition to studying moons and rings
previously seen from Earth.
17. Neptune
eighth planet from the sun
also known as the Blue Giant
has rings
atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium
In Roman mythology Neptune was the god of
the Sea.
8 known moons
18. •Voyager 2 observed the Great Dark Spot.
Recent observations made with the Hubble
Space Telescope indicate that the Great
Dark Spot no longer exists.
19. Pluto
farthest known planet from the Sun.
only one planet that has not been visited by
spacecraft.
one moon called Charon.
named Pluto after the God of the Underworld in
Roman mythology.
In Greek mythology the equivalent god is Hades.
20. • NASA has for at least a decade been planning
a fly-by of the solar systems most distant
planet. The latest version, called New Horizons
will be launched in 2006.
21. Works Cited
Stathopoulos., Vic. (2009, November 28). Space
projects and info. Retrieved from
http://www.aerospaceguide.net/index.html
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