Introduction

Abstract

We humans have an inbuilt need to explore. In the Middle Ages sailors made perilous voyages in search of new lands, and in the last half century technology has allowed us to investigate first hand the environment around our planet and even our neighbors in the solar system. Instrumentation is continually being improved to enable us to look farther away to learn more about our universe and its history. The design, construction, and launch of robotic spacecraft for exploration requires manpower, national funding, and often long periods of time. Despite the many setbacks due to launch failures and spacecraft malfunctioning prior to completing their missions, we continue to initiate new projects in the hope of making discoveries with those which succeed.