Spacecraft Classification

Penetrator Spacecraft
Deep Space 2 Spacecraft
DEEP SPACE 2
Surface penetrators have been designed for entering the surface of a body, such as a comet, surviving an impact of hundreds of Gs, measuring, and telemetering the properties of the penetrated surface. Penetrator data would typically be telemetered to an orbiter craft for re-transmission to Earth. As of January 2013, only small number of Penetrator missions have been attempted. The Comet Rendezvous / Asteroid Flyby (CRAF) mission included a cometary penetrator, but the mission was cancelled in 1992 due to budget constraints. The twin Deep Space 2 penetrators, which piggybacked to Mars aboard the Mars Polar Lander, succeeded in striking the Martian soil on December 3, 1999. Unfortunately, no data was transmitted. Click the Deep Space 2 image for details of the penetrator spacecraft.
Our prime example of a penetrator spacecraft is the Deep Impact spacecraft, which was launched January 12, 2005. Targeting the comet 9P/Tempel, Deep Impact's impactor module successfully collided with the comet's nucleus, releasing a plume that was observed by the spacecraft itself. Other examples of penetrator spacecraft include:

Deep Impact Mission to a comet
Ice Pick Mission to Europa
Lunar-A Mission to Earth's Moon