Astronomy by Nigel Romany

Solar System Exploration by Spacecrafts
(excludes Earth & Moon)

Trivia - How many "satellites" are there in Space? Answer: Thousands!? Go here and leave everything as is and click Submit. A list of thousands of spacecraft launched into space will appear. And, there are over 20,000 space junk (debris) up there around Earth's orbit.

Sun (12)
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)
Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO)
Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) - studies the Sun and Magnetosphere (orbiting Earth)
ACRIMSat see also Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor (ACRIM)
Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE)
Solar-B / Hinode
Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX)
Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)
Solar Probe Plus to be launched in 2018 to go into Sun

Mercury (2)
no moons
Mariner 10
MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging)
ESA/ISAS's BepiColombo 2012 launch

Venus (16)
no moons
Venera 1
Mariner 2
Zond 1 see also here
Mariner 5
Venera 7
Mariner 10
Venera 9 took first photo from the surface of another world
Pioneer Venus
Vega 1 see also here
Vega 2
Magellan
Galileo
Cassini-Huygens
MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging)
Venus Express (ESA) currently orbiting Venus - launched Nov 2005 - arrived Apr 2006
Venus Climate Orbiter (The Akatsuki) / Small Solar Power Sail Demonstrator (Ikaros) (JAXA) arrives 2016
Feb 13, 2012 Venus May Be Slowing Down, New ESA Data Suggests
Dec 8, 2010 Japanese probe Akatsuki misses Venus orbit

Earth
1 moon

Mars (27)
2 moons - Phobos and Deimos, both discovered by Asaph Hall in 1877
Mars 1
Mariner 3 see also here
Mariner 4
Mariner 6 and 7
Mariner 9
Viking 1 and 2 on surface
Fobos 1 see also here
Fobos 2
Mars Observer
Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Pathfinder on surface
Mars Climate Orbiter
Mars Polar Lander on surface
Deep Space 2 on surface
Phoenix on surface
Mars 2001 Odyssey active
Mars Express and Beagle 2 Mars Express active, Beagle 2 lost on surface
Spirit currently active on surface
Opportunity currently active on surface
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and see also here active
Phobos-Grunt and Yinghuo-1 to be launched 2011
Curiosity | Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) launched Nov 26, 2011 see also here

Asteroid Belt (1) (Trivia - there are over 534,000 asteriods found)
Vesta & Ceres are the 2 largest "asteroids" in our solar system
Ceres is a dwarf planet that was previously classified as a planet then an asteroid
Galileo asteroid 951 Gaspra (1991) asteroid 243 Ida and it's moon Dactyl (1993)
Dawn visiting asteroid Vesta in Aug 2011 and dwarf planet Ceres in 2015
Dec 9, 2011 Is Vesta the Smallest Terrestrial Planet?

Jupiter (8)
65 known moons
In 1610 Galileo discovered 4 of Jupiter's moons - they are from nearest to farthest; Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
Three of them are the biggest moons in the solar system.
Pioneer 10 and 11
Voyager 1 Mar 1979 - launched Sep 5, 1977
Voyager 2 Jul 1979 - launched Aug 20, 1977
Ulysses
Galileo and Galileo Legacy Site
Cassini-Huygens
Juno arrives 2016 - to be launched Aug 2011
Apr 4, 2012 Outer-Planet Moons Found — and Lost
Mar 1, 2012 Europa's Ocean May Be Too Acidic for Life
Jul 24, 2009 Hubble reawakens, snaps image of Jupiter scar
Jul 21, 2009 Mystery impact leaves Earth-size mark on Jupiter

Saturn (4)
62 known moons - largest moon is Titan, moon Enceladus has ice
Pioneer 11
Voyager 1 Nov 1980
Voyager 2 Aug 1981
Cassini-Huygens launched 1997, arrived 2004. Currently orbiting Saturn while Huygens landed on Titan in January 2005
Apr 4, 2012 Outer-Planet Moons Found — and Lost
What You Don't Know About Saturn discovered in 1979
NASA - Cassini Images Bizarre Hexagon on Saturn's North Pole
Giant hexagon of clouds spins on Saturn while clouds disappear from Jupiter

Uranus (1)
27 known moons
Voyager 2 Jan 1986
Dec 23, 2005 Hubble finds new moons, rings around Uranus

Neptune (1)
13 known moons
Voyager 2 Aug 1989
Oct 18, 2010 First asteroid in Neptune's trailing Trojan zone discovered - New Horizons perhaps may investigate

Dwarf Planets (2) (classified in 2006) see Mike Brown's Planets

Ceres (1) (previously classified as a planet then an asteroid)
Dawn visiting asteroid Vesta in Aug 2011 and dwarf planet Ceres in 2015

Pluto (1) (previously classified as a planet, called 9th Planet for decades) | a Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO)
4 known moons (Charon, Nix, Hydra, P4)
New Horizons see also here Pluto (Jul 2015)
Sep 5, 2011 Dwarf Planet Mysteries Beckon to New Horizons
Jul 20, 2011 Tiny fourth moon discovered in Pluto's orbit
Oct 21, 2011 Pluto — No Longer a Planet — Has a Twin Sister
Oct 18, 2010 Reaching the Mid-Mission Milestone on the Way to Pluto

Eris (formerly 2003 UB313 and/or Xena, called 10th Planet by NASA for almost a year)
a Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO)
1 known moon (Dysnomia)
NIL
Oct 26, 2011 Faraway Eris Is Pluto's Twin
Oct 21, 2011 Pluto — No Longer a Planet — Has a Twin Sister
Oct 10, 2010 Nitrogen, Methane Dominate Icy Surface of Eris

Haumea (formerly 2003 EL61 discovered Dec 28, 2004) | a Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO)
2 known moons (Namaka, Hi'iaka)
NIL

Makemake (announced in 2005) | a Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO)
no known moons
NIL

The following may be grouped in by some but we don’t know enough about them be to sure:
Sedna (discovered Nov 14, 2003) | a Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO)
NIL
Orcus | a Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO)
1 known moon (Vanth)
NIL
Snow White (formerly 2007 OR10) | a Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO)
NIL
Quaoar (discovered in June 2002) | a Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO)
1 known moon (Weywot)
NIL

The Kuiper Belt (1) ~30-50AU (also called the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt and the trans-Neptunian Belt)
the massive band of comet-like bodies that circles the solar system
New Horizons see also here The Kuiper Belt (2016-2020)

Comets (Trivia - there are over 3000 comets found)

Planet X

Heliosphere 75-90AU to ~230AU (a protective bubble that shields and protects our solar system / border of Solar system)
(Local Interstellar Cloud)
Pioneer 10 and 11 (mission ended 1995 & 1997 respectively)
Voyager 1 and 2
Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) see also here orbiting Earth
Jan 31, 2012 IBEX reveals the unexpected "atmosphere" that surrounds our entire solar system

Heliopause

Interstellar Medium (space between stars)

Solar System Exploration by Spacecrafts (excludes Earth & Moon)

Solar System Exploration by Spacecrafts
(excludes Earth & Moon)