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Exploring the Solar System: Mars Rovers

In this activity, learners must work together to navigate a large obstacle course, similar to how scientists and engineers communicate with rovers to explore distant worlds.

DESCRIPTION

In "Exploring the Solar System: Mars Rovers," participants learn about how scientists and engineers use robotic rovers and other vehicles to explore distant worlds, and experience some of the challenges and teamwork required to navigate a rover across the surface of a planet millions of miles away. Players acting as "Mission Control" and a "Rover" must work together to navigate a large obstacle course. Participants can also design their own rover to fit the particular challenges of exploring a distant planet.

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  • A learner gives commands to another learner who is blindfolded and is navigating a obstacle course.
  • Image of the different materials in the Mars Rover activity
  • Artistic rendering of a rover on Mars
  • A learner gives commands to another learner who is blindfolded and is navigating a obstacle course.
  • Image of the different materials in the Mars Rover activity
  • Artistic rendering of a rover on Mars

DESCRIPTION

In "Exploring the Solar System: Mars Rovers," participants learn about how scientists and engineers use robotic rovers and other vehicles to explore distant worlds, and experience some of the challenges and teamwork required to navigate a rover across the surface of a planet millions of miles away. Players acting as "Mission Control" and a "Rover" must work together to navigate a large obstacle course. Participants can also design their own rover to fit the particular challenges of exploring a distant planet.

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TRAINING VIDEOS

OBJECTIVES

LEARNING GOALS

  • • Teams of scientists and engineers use rovers and other robotic vehicles to explore distant worlds.

    • Rover missions, like those to Mars, are carefully planned here on Earth.

    • NASA missions require large teams of people working together.

Credits

YEAR CREATED
2018
OWNING INSTITUTION

The Science Museum of Minnesota

FUNDING

This material is based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC67A. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

PERMISSIONS

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 3.0 United States (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US).
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DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

NISE Network products are developed through an iterative collaborative process that includes scientific review, peer review, and visitor evaluation in accordance with an inclusive audiences approach. Products are designed to be easily edited and adapted for different audiences under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license. To learn more, visit our Development Process page.