Have you experienced ever for the fate of the interplanetary probe? Large apparatus, which have invested years of work, stuffed with advanced scientific instruments, is a distant planet's atmosphere, and not the fact that will respond to the surface. Precedents enough - probes broken, destroyed in the atmosphere, or fell silent for some unknown reason. And the whole mission is wasted. Even if the fit successfully passed, only one device can not be simultaneously in several places and had to choose between a plurality of potential points of interest. Also the place was supposed to be safe - the risk of loss of the probe outweighed scientific interest. But now orbiting the Earth fly tens of micro- and nano-satellites, that if we apply this idea to interplanetary probes?
The first success h4> The first mission, where, together with a large probe flew several small, became the «Пионер-Венера-2», launched in 1978. Large unit sat near the equator, and three small dispersed in hand. One sat on the ~ 60 ° N, the second - far on the night side, and the third - on the day. The design was simple machines:
1- antenna 2 - thermometer, 3 - thermal protection, 4 - a sealed container with batteries and electronics, 5 - нефелометр, 6 - radiometer. I>
Small cell phones did not even have a parachute. "Day" unit exceeded expectations designers, sustained a blow on the surface and another hour to transfer data.
A new level of scientific data collection. Grid devices capable of providing a spatial representation of climate, weather or geological data. One unit is fundamentally unable to do so. Most reliable integrated missions - the failure of one unit is not fatal. Ability to take more risks - you can lose a few vehicles in the Valles Marineris, the Olympus or Hellas Planitia on. More scientific data. Casual slip on landing Chinese lunar rover discovered new information about the geology of the Moon. And if landed a hundred machines?
Disadvantages:
Limiting the mass of one unit means that it is impossible to put a complex and large scientific instruments. Also, cell phones are unlikely to be able to move or to exist for years. Small size dictate little energy - orbital relay becomes mandatory. Also, a repeater increased demands on data transfer.
In my opinion it is obvious merits outweigh hopefully in the near future, swarms of probes complement our usual large complex machines.
Source: