Meet the explorers

Big adventures. Little machines.

Some rolled. Some landed. One learned to fly. Pick a space explorer and discover the real story behind its extraordinary journey.

15 explorers waiting to meet you

The MoonAI-generated illustration
No. 01 / Impactor
Ranger 7
The Moon photographer
The first American spacecraft to send back close-up pictures of the Moon. It took 4,308 photographs in its last 17 minutes before striking the surface on purpose.
1964Meet me
The MoonAI-generated illustration
No. 02 / Lander
Surveyor 1
The gentle landing
The first American spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon. It proved the ground could hold a lander, three years before Apollo 11.
1966–1967Meet me
The MoonAI-generated illustration
No. 03 / Lander
Eagle
The Moon’s little launch pad
The descent stage of the Lunar Module Eagle carried the first people to land on the Moon. It stayed behind as the launch pad for their trip home and still stands at Tranquility Base.
1969Meet me
The MoonAI-generated illustration
No. 04 / Rover
Lunar Roving Vehicle
The astronauts’ ride
The first car driven on the Moon. Apollo 15's rover let astronauts travel far beyond the lander, to the edge of Hadley Rille.
1971Meet me
MarsAI-generated illustration
No. 05 / Lander
Viking 1
A laboratory on Mars
The first American spacecraft to land on Mars and work there. It sent back the first pictures from the surface and searched the soil for signs of life.
1976–1982Meet me
MarsAI-generated illustration
No. 06 / Lander
Viking 2
Another window onto Mars
Viking 1's twin landed on the far side of Mars, on the plains of Utopia Planitia, and photographed frost on the ground in winter.
1976–1980Meet me
MarsAI-generated illustration
No. 07 / Lander + rover
Pathfinder & Sojourner
The little trailblazer
Pathfinder bounced to a stop on airbags and released Sojourner, the first wheeled rover to drive on another planet.
1997Meet me
MarsAI-generated illustration
No. 08 / Lander
Mars Polar Lander
An arrival with questions
Built to dig near the south pole of Mars, it went silent as it began its descent and was never heard from again.
1999Meet me
MarsAI-generated illustration
No. 09 / Rover
Spirit
The determined climber
Opportunity's twin. Spirit climbed the Columbia Hills and, even with one wheel dragging, uncovered nearly pure silica that pointed to ancient hot springs.
2004–2010Meet me
MarsAI-generated illustration
No. 10 / Rover
Opportunity
The rock detective
Planned for 90 sols, Opportunity drove for more than 14 years. It crossed 45 km of Mars and found clear evidence that water once soaked its rocks.
2004–2018Meet me
MarsAI-generated illustration
No. 11 / Lander
Phoenix
The ice explorer
The first spacecraft to land in the Martian arctic. Its robotic arm dug down to water ice just under the soil.
2008Meet me
The MoonAI-generated illustration
No. 12 / Impactor
LCROSS
Clues in the shadows
LCROSS steered its spent rocket stage into a dark polar crater, flew through the plume and found water.
2009Meet me
The MoonAI-generated illustration
No. 13 / Twin orbiters
GRAIL
A pair with a purpose
Twin spacecraft that flew in formation to map the Moon's gravity in more detail than ever before.
2011–2012Meet me
MarsAI-generated illustration
No. 14 / Lander
InSight
The planet listener
InSight listened to Mars. Its seismometer recorded more than 1,300 marsquakes and revealed the planet's crust, mantle and core.
2018–2022Meet me
MarsAI-generated illustration
No. 15 / Helicopter
Ingenuity
The little flyer
The first aircraft to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. Planned for 5 flights, it flew 72.
2021–2024Meet me

Ranger 7

Surveyor 1

Eagle

Lunar Roving Vehicle

Viking 1

Viking 2

Pathfinder & Sojourner

Mars Polar Lander

Spirit

Opportunity

Phoenix

LCROSS

GRAIL

InSight

Ingenuity