| Spacecraft | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 1. Cassini-Huygens | Orbiting the Venus and transmitting data to the Earth |
| 2. Messenger | Mapping and investigating |
| 3. Voyager 1 and 2 | Exploring the outer solar system |
Explanation
Pair 1 is incorrectly matched: The Cassini-Huygens mission was a collaborative project between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to study Saturn and its moons, not Venus. Huygens probe landed on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon in 2005 and provided valuable data about its atmosphere and surface.
Pair 2 is correctly matched: The Messenger (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) spacecraft was a NASA mission designed to study Mercury. It orbited Mercury and mapped its surface, studying its geology, and investigating its magnetic field and exosphere.
Pair 3 is correctly matched: The Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft were launched by NASA in 1977 to explore the outer planets of the solar system. Voyager 1 flew by Jupiter and Saturn, providing detailed images and data about these planets and their moons. Voyager 2 visited all four outer planets:
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The spacecraft are now in interstellar space, continuing to transmit data about the heliosphere and beyond.