| abstract | - An Atmoprobe is a 3-meter-long, missile-like object. An exploration ship can carry one atmoprobe for each point of the ship's hull size. The probe can be launched from anywhere inside a star system and programmed to seek out a specific planet or other body. It will travel at 10 million kilometers per hour until it reaches the target. When the atmoprobe reaches its destination, it will go into orbit around the planet and gradually drop toward the surface. As it enters the atmosphere, it will send back messages to the ship that launched it. After a few dozen orbits (several hours), the probe will burn up in the atmosphere. If the planet has no atmosphere, the probe will crash into the surface. An Environmental Specialist aboard the exploration ship has the same chance of analyzing the data from the atmoprobe as he would of analyzing a reading on his vaporscanner {50% + 10% per skill level). Only a character with environmental skill can interpret the findings of an atmoprobe. An atmoprobe costs 40,000 credits. A level 2, 4 function-point computer program also must be purchased for each atmoprobe. A guidance/analysis program (Level 3, 9 function points) must be used on the ship launching the probes. The program on the ship can be used with any number of atmoprobes.
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