This part of the book provides a basic description, key data and a drawing for all planetary atmospheric or surface vehicles launched, or attempted, from the earliest examples to 2007. Key references concerning the design, payload and results of each craft or mission are given in each case so that the reader may find more detailed information elsewhere. For the payload experiments, the names in parentheses indicate the Principal Investigators (PIs) or otherwise-titled responsible experimenters. Details of the particular experiments and the results obtained (if any) can in most cases be found by searching publications authored (or co-authored) by those named.

The many vehicles are divided into six categories, reflecting the way in which they encounter an atmosphere or surface.

• Destructive impact probes (where the mission is intended to end with the vehicle being destroyed on impact with the surface). These probes are discussed only very briefly, since they are not landers yet do play a role in planetary surface exploration.

• Atmospheric entry probes (where the vehicle's design is driven by its mission in the atmosphere).

• Pod landers (where the vehicle is designed to land initially in any orientation).

• Legged landers (where the vehicle is provided with landing gear).

• Payload delivery penetrators (where the vehicle decelerates in the sub-surface to emplace a payload).

• Small-body surface missions (where the vehicle operates in a low surface gravity environment). These can include many operations that are possible in low gravity, and various types of surface element.

The diagrams in this part of the book were drawn using information gleaned from a variety of sources.