How big will the next lander be?
Melissa Dean Hazlet Middle School Hazlet, NJ ANSWER: Hi Melissa, The next mission to the Martian surface will be twin rovers to be launched in the spring of 2003 and landing on Mars in Jan. and Feb. 2004. This mission is called the Mars Exploration Rover mission. These rovers will be able to drive up to 100 m a day (330 ft). We are in the process of selecting their landing sites right now. Each rover is a 6-wheeled vehicle, 184 kg in mass (including payload), and approximately 142 cm long, 123 cm wide and 156 cm tall. The rover solar panels, with five deployable sections, makes the deck system ~230 cm wide at its deck height approximately 67 cm off the ground. The rover has a ground clearance of 28 cm and a wheel diameter of ~25 cm enabling it to easily overcome isolated hazards such as rocks 20 cm tall. I hope this answers your question and stay tuned because Mars exploration will be in the news for years to come!! Dr. James W. Rice, Jr.
