I know. But still, just flying around the solar system can be endlessly productive. Does anyone think we've learned all we can about the solar system?

"To provide a comprehensive and precise list of space probes launched in the past 10 years (from 2013 to 2023), it's essential to highlight that space probes are designed for various missions, including planetary exploration, solar observation, and astrophysical studies. Here's a structured overview of notable space probes launched during this period:

2013

MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution): Launched by NASA, this probe is aimed at studying the Martian atmosphere to understand how it lost its water and atmosphere over time.

2014

Hayabusa2: Launched by JAXA, the Japanese space agency, this asteroid sample-return mission targeted the asteroid Ryugu.

2015

DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory): A joint mission by NASA, NOAA, and the U.S. Air Force, DSCOVR studies the solar wind and its impact on Earth.

2016

OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer): NASA's mission to asteroid Bennu for a sample return to Earth.

2017

Parker Solar Probe: Launched by NASA to study the outer corona of the Sun.

2018

BepiColombo: A joint mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and JAXA to Mercury. InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport): A NASA lander to study Mars' interior.

2019

Chang'e 4: A Chinese lunar exploration mission that achieved the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon.

2020

Mars 2020 (Perseverance Rover): NASA's rover to explore Mars, seeking signs of past life and collecting samples for possible return to Earth. Tianwen-1: China's mission that includes an orbiter, lander, and rover to Mars. Hope Probe: The United Arab Emirates' mission to study the Martian atmosphere.

2021

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): An international collaboration led by NASA, with significant contributions from ESA and the Canadian Space Agency, JWST is designed to observe the earliest galaxies and stars formed after the Big Bang."

-ChatGPT

Space exploration is definitely still a thing.

There's plenty of things flying around the solar system :) though: ear hear, I second the sentiment

Intentional eggcorn?

I was under the impression that it took advantage of a rare alignment of planets to not only get a speed boost but also pass by all the planets to get photos of them.

In theory we could just do an arbitrary number of consecutive gravity assists between say earth and mars to get the speed to travel past a single planet to exmaine it and then travel on out of the solar system.

With the cost savings of the new Starship rocket, the increased scale of probes that it would enable, the increase in processing and sensing technology, and the lowered cost that would come from mass production of many probes we could probably end up with a more cost effective solution this way, even if we're sending more probes.

Venus and Earth are more often used compared to Mars. The window is more frequent, it's more massive, and takes less delta-v to get to.