Mars Rovers

Mars rovers are like incredible robot explorers that drive around the Red Planet taking pictures and making amazing discoveries! These six-wheeled robots are basically remote-controlled science labs that can drill into rocks, analyze soil, take selfies, and even record sounds from Mars. The rovers are controlled by teams of scientists and engineers on Earth, but because it takes up to 24 minutes for radio signals to travel between Earth and Mars, the rovers have to be smart enough to make some decisions on their own.

NASA has sent several rovers to Mars over the years, each one bigger and more advanced than the last. Sojourner was the first successful rover in 1997 and was only the size of a microwave oven. The twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity arrived in 2004 and were supposed to work for just 90 days, but Opportunity kept exploring for an incredible 15 years! Curiosity landed in 2012 and is the size of a car, while the newest rover Perseverance arrived in 2021 and even brought along a tiny helicopter friend named Ingenuity.

The rovers have made some amazing discoveries that help us understand Mars and whether life might have existed there. They've found evidence that liquid water once flowed on Mars, discovered organic molecules in Martian rocks, and taken thousands of stunning photos that show us what it's like to stand on another planet. Perseverance is even collecting rock samples that will be brought back to Earth by future missions!