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Mars rover

Article Discussion

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File:Curiosity Self-Portrait at 'Big Sky' Drilling Site.jpg
NASA's Curiosity rover, selfie, 2015

A Mars rover is a remote-controlled motor vehicle designed to travel on the surface of Mars. Rovers have several advantages over stationary landers: they examine more territory, they can be directed to interesting features, they can place themselves in sunny positions to weather winter months, and they can advance the knowledge of how to perform very remote robotic vehicle control. They serve a different purpose than orbital spacecraft like Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. A more recent development is the Mars helicopter.

Template:As of, there have been six successful robotically operated Mars rovers; the first five, managed by the American NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, were (by date of Mars landing): Sojourner (1997), Spirit (2004–2010), Opportunity (2004–2018), Curiosity (2012–present), and Perseverance (2021–present). The sixth, managed by the China National Space Administration, is Zhurong (2021–2022).

On January 24, 2016, NASA reported that then current studies on Mars by Opportunity and Curiosity would be searching for evidence of ancient life, including a biosphere based on autotrophic, chemotrophic or chemolithoautotrophic microorganisms, as well as ancient water, including fluvio-lacustrine environments (plains related to ancient rivers or lakes) that may have been habitable.<ref name="SCI-20140124a">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="SCI-20140124special">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="SCI-20140124">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="SCI-20140124c">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The search for evidence of habitability, taphonomy (related to fossils), and organic carbon on Mars is now a primary NASA objective.<ref name="SCI-20140124a" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The Soviet probes, Mars 2 and Mars 3, were physically tethered probes; Sojourner was dependent on the Mars Pathfinder base station for communication with Earth; Opportunity, Spirit and Curiosity were on their own. As of 27 April 2025, Curiosity is still active, while Spirit, Opportunity, and Sojourner completed their missions before losing contact. On February 18, 2021, Perseverance, the newest American Mars rover, successfully landed. On May 14, 2021, China's Zhurong became the first non-American rover to successfully operate on Mars.

MissionsEdit

Template:See also Multiple rovers have been dispatched to Mars:

File:Tianwen-1 Lander and Zhurong Rover in Southern Utopia Planitia (ESP 069665 2055-1).jpg
Zhurong rover and lander captured by HiRISE from NASA's MRO on 6 June 2021

ActiveEdit

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="NYT-MSL">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and landed at the Aeolis Palus plain near Aeolis Mons (informally "Mount Sharp")<ref name="IAU-20120516">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="NASA-20120327">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="NASA-20120328">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Space-20120329">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012.<ref name="Gale Crater">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Gale Crater2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Gale Crater3">Template:Cite news</ref> The Curiosity rover is still operational as of 2025.

PastEdit

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|CitationClass=web }}</ref> and landed on January 4, 2004. Nearly six years after the original mission limit, Spirit had covered a total distance of Template:Convert but its wheels became trapped in sand.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The last communication received from the rover was on March 22, 2010, and NASA ceased attempts to re-establish communication on May 25, 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

  • Template:Flagdeco Opportunity (MER-B), Mars Exploration Rover, launched on July 7, 2003<ref name="Mars Exploration" /> and landed on January 25, 2004. Opportunity surpassed the previous records for longevity at 5,352 sols (5498 Earth days from landing to mission end; 15 Earth years or 8 Martian years) and covered Template:Convert. The rover sent its last status on 10 June 2018 when a global 2018 Mars dust storm blocked the sunlight needed to recharge its batteries.<ref name="nasa.gov">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> After hundreds of attempts to reactivate the rover, NASA declared the mission complete on February 13, 2019.

  • Template:Flagdeco Zhurong launched with the Tianwen-1 CNSA Mars mission on July 23, 2020, landed on May 14, 2021, in the southern region of Utopia Planitia, and deployed on May 22, 2021, while dropping a remote selfie camera on 1 June 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Designed for a lifespan of 90 sols (93 Earth days),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Zhurong had been active for 347 sols (356.5 days) since its deployment and traveled on Mars's surface for Template:Cvt.<ref name="zhurong_2205">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Since 20 May 2022, the rover was deactivated due to approaching sandstorms and Martian winter.<ref name="nature_230120">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="vice_2303">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> But the larger-than-expected build-up of dust covering its solar panels prevented it from self-reactivation. On 25 April 2023, the mission designer Zhang Rongqiao announced that the buildup of dust from the last inactivation is greater than planned, indicating the rover could be inactive "forever".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

FailedEdit

  • Template:Flagicon image Mars 2, PrOP-M rover, 1971, Mars 2 landing failed, destroying Prop-M with it. The Mars 2 and 3 spacecraft from the Soviet Union had identical Template:Convert Prop-M rovers. They were to move on skis while connected to the landers with cables.<ref name=Mars2_NSSDC>

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  • Template:Flagicon image Mars 3, PrOP-M rover, landed successfully on December 2, 1971. Template:Convert rover tethered to the Mars 3 lander. Lost when the Mars 3 lander stopped communicating about 110 seconds after landing.<ref name="Mars2_NSSDC" /> The loss of communication may have been due to the extremely powerful Martian dust storm taking place at the time, or an issue with the Mars 3 orbiter's ability to relay communications.

PlannedEdit

  • Template:Flagdeco ESA's ExoMars rover Rosalind Franklin was confirmed technically ready for launch in March 2022 and planned to launch in September 2022, but due to the suspension of cooperation with Roscosmos this is delayed until at least 2028. A fast-track study was started to determine alternative launch options.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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ProposedEdit

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UndevelopedEdit

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Timeline of rover surface operationsEdit

<timeline>
  1. Rover Surface Operations

ImageSize = width:1200 height:auto barincrement:18 PlotArea = left:50 right:130 bottom:20 top:10 AlignBars = late

Colors = 

 id:NASA      value:blue  # National Aeronautics and Space Administration
 id:CNSA      value:red # China National Space Administration

DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:1997 till:{{#time:m/d/Y}} TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1997 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1997

Define $today = {{#time:m/d/Y}}

Define $dx = 25

BarData = 

 bar:Sojourner
 bar:Spirit
 bar:Opportunity
 bar:Curiosity
 bar:Perseverence
 bar:Zhurong

PlotData= 

 width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till

 bar:Sojourner
 from:07/04/1997   till:09/27/1997   color:NASA   text:Sojourner

 bar:Spirit
 from:01/04/2004   till:03/22/2010   color:NASA   text:Spirit

 bar:Opportunity
 from:01/25/2004   till:06/10/2018   color:NASA   text:Opportunity

 bar:Curiosity
 from:08/06/2012   till:end   color:NASA   text:Curiosity

 bar:Perseverence
 from:02/18/2021   till:end   color:NASA   text:Perseverance

 bar:Zhurong
 from:05/14/2021   till:05/20/2022   color:CNSA   text:Zhurong

</timeline>

Examples of instrumentsEdit

File:PIA16161-Mars Curiosity Rover-MAHLI.jpg
Curiosity's (MSL) rover "hand" featuring a suite of instruments on a rotating "wrist". Mount Sharp is in the background (September 8, 2012).
File:PIA22222-Mars-OpportunityRover-FirstSelfie-20180220.jpg
OpportunityTemplate:'s first self-portrait including the camera mast on Mars
(February 14−20, 2018 / sols 4998−5004). It was taken with its microscopic imager instrument.

Examples of instruments onboard landed rovers include:

File:PIA24320-MarsLandingSites-20201216.jpg
Mars Landing Sites (December 16, 2020)

NASA Mars rover goalsEdit

Circa the 2010s, NASA had established certain goals for the rover program.

NASA distinguishes between "mission" objectives and "science" objectives. Mission objectives are related to progress in space technology and development processes. Science objectives are met by the instruments during their mission in space.

The science instruments are chosen and designed based on the science objectives and goals. The primary goal of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers was to investigate "the history of water on Mars".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The four science goals of NASA's long-term Mars Exploration Program are:

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Wide image

GalleryEdit

  • Mars rovers
  • Sojourner on Mars PIA01122.jpg

    Sojourner rover on Mars

  • H rover-comp wheels 02.jpg

    Comparison of wheels: Mars Sojourner rover, MER, MSL

  • Mars Science Laboratory mockup comparison.jpg

    Comparison (2008): MER, Sojourner rover, MSL

  • PIA15279 3rovers-stand D2011 1215 D521.jpg

    Comparison (2011): MER, Sojourner rover, humans, MSL

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File:Mars Rover Comparison Distance Graph.svg
Comparison of the distances travelled by various Mars rovers

See alsoEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

Template:Mars rovers Template:Features and artificial objects on Mars Template:NASA navbox Template:Mars spacecraft Template:Portal bar

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