As it stands, Mars is the only planet that closely resembles Earth. Since this discovery, the human race has been fascinated with colonizing this neighboring planet. However, before we can pack up our belongings, board one of Elon Musk’s rockets, and head over to Mars, it’s crucial for NASA to figure out whether this planet can support human life.
One of the ways NASA can achieve this is by sending rovers, planetary surface devices designed to navigate over the rough terrains of various celestial bodies. Here, we look at how many rovers are on Mars and their progress.
What Was The First Rover on Mars?
So far, six rovers have successfully made their way to Mars. However, at the time of writing, three are still actively roaming around the planet, collecting and sending valuable data.
The first rover to land on Mars was called the Sojourner; it entered the planet’s atmosphere in 1997. This was a little late, considering NASA had landed several spacecrafts on this planet in the 1970s. Sojourner was part of the Pathfinder Mission, so it landed alongside the Pathfinder robotic spacecraft.
Sojourner could cover 330 feet because it had to stay within the Pathfinder’s vicinity. It moved around Mars for around three months. Even though space enthusiasts consider the data obtained by Sojourner to be minimal, it played a crucial role in planning future missions.
It’s important to mention that technology was not advanced in the 1990s. Therefore, the Sojourner was relatively small and couldn’t travel too far. It also had a fisheye camera that made the images look odd.
Spirit and Opportunity Rovers
In 2004, Mars sent two rovers on Mars: Spirit and Opportunity. Spirit was the first to land, and the two rovers were intended to operate for 90 days. However, they both lasted for many years, which was a plus for NASA. Spirit ran until 2010, while Opportunity lasted till 2018. The latter made history for being the first rover to spend the longest time on Mars, traveling about 28 miles.
In the beginning, the Spirit Rover had memory issues, forcing it to restart several times. Fortunately, scientists were able to fix this issue remotely.
Unlike Sojourner, Spirit had a panoramic camera that took better shots, leading to the discovery of Mars’s bright soils. As for Opportunity, its journey ended when it started experiencing memory issues.
Curiosity Rover
Launched from Earth in 2012, the Curiosity Rover was intended to explore Mars for only two years. However, it stayed longer after that, sending valuable feedback to Earth to date. The Curiosity Rover informed us about the presence of water on Mars and provided valuable input regarding Martian climate and geology.
With advancements in technology, Curiosity was bigger and heavier and had more sophisticated parts, such as a robotic arm. As such, it can drill Martian rocks and send a sample analysis back to Earth, earning it the nickname “Rock Eater.”
Interestingly, Curiosity’s tech was so advanced that after spending a year on Mars, it sang “Happy Birthday” to itself. Even though it’s still roaming Mars, Curiosity has taken a beating from this planet’s extreme conditions. For instance, the wheels have been damaged by pointy rocks. It’s incredible that it is still running to date.
Who Owns the Rovers on Mars?
China’s Zhurong rover.
Out of the six rovers that have been sent to Mars, five belong to NASA. The other one is the work of China’s National Space Administration. In 2021, two rovers were launched to Mars: Perseverance and Zhurong.
Perseverance, which belongs to NASA, is an upgrade of Curiosity. Its primary mission is to explore further the discoveries made by Curiosity. This rover has also been designed to identify potential landing spots on Mars.
NASA added a small helicopter on Perseverance called Ingenuity, which was used to test flight on this planet. Being an upgrade of Curiosity, Perseverance isn’t just sending Martian rock data back to Earth. It’s collecting rock samples and storing them in tubes, which will be collected during a mission planned for 2028.
As for Zhurong, it was sent to Mars three months after Perseverance. It made history by being the first rover sent to Mars by another country other than the United States. In the first quarter of 2023, astronauts from the Chinese National Space Administration mentioned that the Zhurong was in hibernation mode after accumulating excessive dust on the solar panels.
There has been speculation that the Zhurong may never wake up, but only time will tell. Whichever the case, the Zhurong Rover could make groundbreaking discoveries, such as the presence of a shoreline on Mars in the Northern Hemisphere.
How Hard Is It to Send Rovers to Mars?
It wasn’t easy for space explorers to successfully land rovers on Mars and get feedback. This is evident from the numerous failed attempts by the USSR in the 1970s. Rovers such as the Soviet Mars 2 crashed when it landed on the surface of Mars. The Mars 3 rover stopped transmitting data 14.5 seconds after it had landed. Similar unsuccessful outcomes were witnessed with Mars 6 and 7 rovers that never even reached the surface.
The Key Takeaway
The future of rovers on Mars seems to be quite promising. Several countries have entered this race, including Japan. Other agencies like Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, and SpaceX have joined NASA’s plan to colonize Mars. Elon Musk, in particular, has very vivid plans for promoting life on Mars. However, before astronauts can be sent to Mars, more rovers will be needed to determine whether human life can be supported on the planet.