More explorers. More stories.
A different journey behind every machine. Who will you meet next?
- The Moon
AI-generated illustrationNo. 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.
1964Read my story - The Moon
AI-generated illustrationNo. 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.
1966–1967Read my story - The Moon
AI-generated illustrationNo. 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.
1969Read my story - The Moon
AI-generated illustrationNo. 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.
1971Read my story - Mars
AI-generated illustrationNo. 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.
1976–1982Read my story - Mars
AI-generated illustrationNo. 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.
1976–1980Read my story - Mars
AI-generated illustrationNo. 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.
1997Read my story - Mars
AI-generated illustrationNo. 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.
1999Read my story - Mars
AI-generated illustrationNo. 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.
2004–2010Read my story - Mars
AI-generated illustrationNo. 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.
2004–2018Read my story - Mars
AI-generated illustrationNo. 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.
2008Read my story - The Moon
AI-generated illustrationNo. 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.
2009Read my story - The Moon
AI-generated illustrationNo. 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.
2011–2012Read my story - Mars
AI-generated illustrationNo. 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.
2018–2022Read my story - Mars
AI-generated illustrationNo. 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.
2021–2024Read my story
One more page?
The original illustrated collection is still here, too. Choose a machine and turn the page.