What is the Mars Rover?
There have in fact been several Mars rovers, rather than one specific spacecraft sent to Mars. These spacecraft are used to explore the surface of Mars for the purpose of gathering scientific data of interest to people on Earth. Thus far, only the United States has successfully launched and landed Mars rovers, with several missions to date. A rover is designed to land on the surface and traverse it, gathering valuable information. Roving technology can be used to explore a variety of celestial bodies in addition to Mars, and robots have also been utilized to gather data about hostile environments such as the bottom of the ocean. A Mars rover has a rugged design which allows it to survive on the surface of Mars, along with an autonomous computer which directs the rover, and communication methods to send images and data back to Earth. There are several reasons to send out a Mars rover. First of all, rovers provide much more information than orbiting spacecraft, allowing researchers to le
