Could a spacecraft land on any outer planet?

Crewed missions to any of the outer planets would be extremely challenging. The planets themselves are known as gas giants because they are extremely big and have no solid surface! Humans would therefore not be able to land on them as there is nothing to land on!

What planets can a spacecraft land on?

All three of those stages have been carried out for the Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, a comet, and several asteroids. Several Soviet and U.S. robotic spacecraft have landed on Venus and the Moon, and the United States has landed spacecraft on the surface of Mars.

Why can’t you land a spacecraft on Jupiter?

The planet is mostly swirling gases and liquids. While a spacecraft would have nowhere to land on Jupiter, it wouldn’t be able to fly through unscathed either. The extreme pressures and temperatures deep inside the planet crush, melt, and vaporize spacecraft trying to fly into the planet.

How does a spacecraft land?

When the astronauts want to return to Earth they turn on the engines, to push their spacecraft out of orbit. The spacecraft may be slowed to a safe landing speed by parachutes. The space shuttle has stubby wings so that it can land on a runway like an aeroplane, but many spacecraft splash down gently into the sea.

How does a space rocket land on Earth?

Currently, SpaceX rockets use 4 landing legs that are folded against the rocket’s body during flight. These then fold out using gravity prior to landing. But, Elon Musk stated in January 2021 that for SpaceX’s largest rocket ever, the Super Heavy booster, they would aim to “catch” the rocket using the launch tower arm.

Is it possible to land on a gas planet?

Unlike rocky planets, which have a clearly defined difference between atmosphere and surface, gas giants do not have a well-defined surface; their atmospheres simply become gradually denser toward the core, perhaps with liquid or liquid-like states in between. One cannot “land on” such planets in the traditional sense.

Can we land on Venus?

Observation by spacecraft. There have been numerous unmanned missions to Venus. Ten Soviet probes have achieved a soft landing on the surface, with up to 110 minutes of communication from the surface, all without return.