Examines the evolution of these far-traveling spacecraft - from the relatively unsophisticated planetary probes flown at the dawn of the Space Age to the powerful exploring machines that allow scientists to conduct investigations of alien worlds within this solar system.

Modern space robots are sophisticated exploring machines that have visited all the major worlds of the solar system except Pluto. ""Robot Spacecraft"" examines the evolution of these fascinating, far-traveling spacecraft - from the relatively unsophisticated planetary probes flown at the dawn of the Space Age to the incredibly powerful exploring machines that now allow scientists to conduct detailed, firsthand investigations of alien worlds within this solar system. ""Robot Spacecraft"" describes the historic events, scientific principles, and technical breakthroughs that now allow complex exploring machines to orbit around or even land upon mysterious worlds in our solar system. This volume's special collection of illustrations presents historic, contemporary, and future robot spacecraft - allowing readers to appreciate the tremendous aerospace engineering progress that has occurred since the dawn of the Space Age and what lies ahead. A generous number of sidebars are strategically positioned throughout the book to provide expanded discussions of fundamental scientific concepts and robot spacecraft engineering techniques. There are also capsule biographies of several space exploration visionaries and scientists to help students appreciate the human dimension in the development and operation of robot spacecraft. Chapters include: From Pioneer Lunar Probes to Interstellar Messengers; How Robot Spacecraft Work; Robot Spacecraft Come in All Shapes and Sizes; Flyby Spacecraft; Orbiters, Probes, and Penetrators; Lander and Rover Spacecraft; Sample Return Missions; Mobile Robots as Scientific Laboratories; Robot Spacecraft Visiting Small Bodies in the Solar System; Future Generations of Robot Explorers; Self-Replicating Systems; and Interstellar Probes.