Humans have sent various kinds of spacecraft-including flybys, orbiters, and landers-to all of the planets in our Solar System. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of each of these types of spacecraft.

Flyby spacecraft are a fascinating option for planetary exploration. These spacecraft do not enter orbit around the target planet nor do they land on it. Instead, they fly past the planet, gathering data during a brief window of time.

While flybys provide a wide array of data, their utility is time-bound, only capturing information as they zoom by.

Some of the most well-known flyby missions include the Voyager probes, which have given us incredible snapshots of the outer planets as they continued on their journey out of the Solar System.

Unlike flyby spacecraft, orbiter spacecraft enter a stable orbit around their target planet. This allows them to study the planet over longer periods. By orbiting, they can observe changes over time, contributing to the understanding of the planet's atmosphere, climate, and surface.

One of the great advantages of orbiters is their ability to map the entire surface of a planet in great detail. This can be invaluable for various scientific inquiries, from understanding weather patterns to discovering geological features.

However, maintaining an orbit requires more fuel and complex engineering, making orbiters more costly and complex to build.

Lander spacecraft take planetary exploration to the next level by physically touching down on the planet's surface. This allows them to perform a detailed analysis of the soil, rocks, and atmosphere right at the landing site.

The precision and detail that landers can provide are unparalleled. They can conduct experiments, take samples, and even look for signs of life. Legendary lander missions include the Mars Rovers like Curiosity and Perseverance, which have been able to roam and study the Martian terrain in detail.

The downside? Landers are usually the most complex and expensive type of spacecraft. Their study areas are limited to the region where they land.

Different types of spacecraft offer varied advantages in space missions, making it crucial to choose the right type for the mission's objectives.

For instance, flybys are low-cost and provide initial reconnaissance. This is particularly useful for missions where the objective is to collect quick, broad data that can serve as a foundation for future, more detailed missions.

Orbiters, on the other hand, deliver continuous and detailed observations, essential for long-term studies. They are ideal for missions aiming to understand a planet comprehensively over time.

Landers provide highly detailed, specific data from their landing sites and can carry out sophisticated experiments, which are key for missions requiring precise ground-truth data.

Despite the groundbreaking data that spacecraft have provided, each type has its set of disadvantages.

Flybys, for example, only collect data over a very short period, limiting the amount of information they can gather. This makes them less suitable for detailed long-term studies.

Orbiters, while providing extensive data, come with high costs and complexity due to the fuel and advanced technology needed for orbit insertion and maintenance.

Landers are incredibly expensive and are limited in their range—they can only study the area where they have landed. Their high cost and complexity can also make them risky ventures, as any landing failure can result in a complete mission loss.