A Mars rover propels itself across the surface of the planet Mars upon its arrival. Seven rovers have been dispatched to Mars and out of which four have successfully operated, namely the Sojourner, the Spirit, the Opportunity and the Curiosity
Sojourner rover
The Mars Pathfinder landed on July 4, 1997 and explored Mars for around three months. It was active for 83 sols (85 Earth days) despite designed only to last for 7 sols to carry out the mission. The rover needed the base station for communication. Sojourner covered a distance of just over 100 meters before eventually the communication was lost.
Spirit rover
The Mars Pathfinder landed on July 4, 1997 and explored Mars for around three months. It was active for 83 sols (85 Earth days) despite designed only to last for 7 sols to carry out the mission. The rover needed the base station for communication. Sojourner covered a distance of just over 100 meters before eventually the communication was lost.
Opportunity rover
Three weeks after its twin Spirit, Opportunity touched down on the other side of Mars on January 25, 2004. It has operated 5305 sols since landing, having exceeded its operating span by 55 times. The rover had travelled a distance of 45.16 km, the longest distance travelled by a off-Earth vehicle. Due to dust storms on Mars, Opportunity ceased its communications with Earth on June 10 and entered hibernation on June 12, 2018.
Curiosity rover
A car-sized rover landed on Mars on August 6, 2012, designed to investigate the Martian climate and geology, assessment of environmental conditions favorable for life forms, and including investigation of the role of water. The rover is still operational and the only rover to be powered by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator unlike the others which depends on solar panels for power generation. The Curiosity rover has covered a distance of 8.6 km and has been on Mars for 2272 sols with its two-year missions extended indefinitely.
Also, I am happy to invite researchers and delegates to gather around at Frankfurt, Germany for our special event on 4th International Conference on Applied Physics slated on April 15-16, 2019.
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