Rover (space exploration)

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A rover is a space exploration vehicle designed to move across the surface of a planet or other astronomical body. Some rovers have been designed to transport members of a space mission crew; others have been partially or fully autonomous robots. Rovers usually arrive at the planetary surface on a lander spacecraft.

Contents 1 History 2 Technology 3 Science instruments 4 Autonomy 4.1 Independent planning 4.2 Distances and lag times

[edit] History

Lunokhod 1:
Lunokhod 1 was the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on another world. The Soviet Union launched Lunokhod 1 aboard the Luna 17 spacecraft on November 10, 1970, and it entered lunar orbit on November 15. The spacecraft soft-landed on the Moon in the Sea of Rains on November 17. The lander had dual ramps from which Lunokhod 1 could descend to the lunar surface. At 06:28 UT the rover moved onto the moon's surface. From November 17, 1970 to November 22, 1970 the rover drove 197 m, and during 10 communication sessions returned 14 close up pictures of the Moon and 12 panoramic views. It also conducted analyses of the lunar soil. The last successful communications session with Lunokhod 1 was on September 14, 1971.

Sojourner:
The Mars Pathfinder mission included Sojourner, the first rover to successfully reach another planet. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched Mars Pathfinder on December 4, 1996; it landed on Mars in a region called Chryse Planitia on 4 July 1997. From its landing until the final data transmission on September 27, 1997, Mars Pathfinder returned 16,500 images from the lander and 550 images from Sojourner, as well as more than 15 chemical analyses of rocks and soil and extensive data on winds and other weather factors.

[edit] Technology

[edit] Science instruments

[edit] Autonomy

[edit] Independent planning

[edit] Distances and lag times

v • d • e Lunar Rovers
Succeded	Lunar rover ((Apollo 15, Apollo 16, and Apollo 17)), Lunokhod 1, Lunokhod 2
Proposed	Chang'e Rover, Chandrayaan-II