Which of the following pair(s) is/are correctly matched?
| Spacecraft | Purpose | ||
| 1. | Cassini-Huygens | : | Orbiting the Venus and transmitting data to the Earth |
| 2. | Messenger | : | Mapping and investigating the Mercury |
| 3. | Voyager 1 & 2 | : | Exploring the outer solar system |
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2014 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
Cassini-Huygens:
- As the fourth space probe to visit Saturn, the Cassini-Huygens mission was launched with two elements: the Cassini orbiter and the Huygens probe.
- In July 2004, the spacecraft reached Saturn with the objective of studying the dynamic behavior of its rings and atmosphere at cloud level, among other goals.
Messenger:
- The Messenger mission was the seventh Discovery-class mission and the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury.
- Its primary goal was to investigate the geology, magnetic field, and chemical composition of the planet.
Voyager 1 and 2:
- Launched in 1977, the Voyager 1 and 2 missions had a primary mission of exploring Jupiter and Saturn.
- Voyager 2 continued on to explore Uranus and Neptune.
- The Voyagers made important discoveries at the outer boundary of the heliosphere in interstellar space.
