Rover (space exploration)

For more specific instances, see Lunar rover and Mars rover.
For other uses, see Rover.
Three different Mars rover designs: Sojourner, MER and Curiosity
Curiosity's wheels on Mars, 2017
Comparison of distances driven by various wheeled vehicles on the surface of the Moon and Mars

A rover (or sometimes planetary rover) is a planetary surface exploration device designed to move over the rough surface of a planet or other planetary mass celestial bodies. Some rovers have been designed as land vehicles to transport members of a human spaceflight crew; others have been partially or fully autonomous robots. Rovers are typically created to land on another planet (other than Earth) via a lander-style spacecraft,[1] tasked to collect information about the terrain, and to take crust samples such as dust, soil, rocks, and even liquids. They are essential tools in space exploration.

  1. ^ "Exploring The Planets - Tools of Exploration - Rovers". Air and Space Museum. 2002. Archived from the original on 25 July 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2013.