sonda

Sonda is a term used in Portuguese to denote an instrument designed to explore, sample, or measure something that is not easily accessible. It is used across disciplines—from medical devices to space exploration—and conveys a sense of probing depth, surveillance, or data collection. The word derives from Latin sondare, meaning to sound or to probe.

In spaceflight, a sonda, or space probe, is an unmanned spacecraft sent to study celestial bodies, the solar system, or interstellar space. Probes carry scientific instruments, power systems, and communication equipment to collect data and transmit it back to Earth. They can perform flybys, orbit, land, or return samples. Notable examples include Voyager, New Horizons, and Rosetta.

In medicine and industry, a sonda refers to a slender instrument designed to examine or reach internal sites. Medical sondas include catheters and endoscopes inserted through body passages for diagnosis, fluid administration, imaging, or therapy. Industrial sondas may monitor temperature, pressure, pH, or chemical composition in environments that are inaccessible or hazardous. Sondas frequently rely on sensors, telemetry, sterilization, and sometimes remote control.

Common features include a slender profile, the ability to transmit data or enable direct measurement, and integration with power and control systems. The term also covers equipment used to collect samples, such as geological or environmental sondas, deployed into soils, oceans, or the atmosphere to measure properties.