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EXPERIMENT 2
Taking off for Mars
YOU WILL NEED
› The assembled Mars rover
› 3 x AAA batteries or 3 x AAA rechargeable batteries
HERE'S HOW
1. Start by assembling your Mars rover. You will find the
instructions on the following pages.
2. Remove the vehicle's legs and open the cover on the
underside of the vibrating motor.
3. Insert the batteries in the direction indicated in the
compartments. Then replace the cover and reattach
the legs.
4. Slide the switch on the underside of the vibrating motor
in one direction or the other. In which direction does the
rover walk? Again, you can try experimenting with the
direction of the switch and try turning the soles around.
5. The rover's gripping hand mimics the robotic arms on the
real Martian rovers. Can you manage to place an object
from your room in its hand? Then let the rover carry it
along.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
A robot that can drive is called a "rover." When a
rover is moving across the Martian surface, it is
very important that it be able to pick up things
that are lying on the ground. That's the only way
that it can study the planet's rocks.
To do that, rovers have other instruments on
board as well, such as microscopes, drills, and
brushes. Then, with the help of its antennas, it
sends the analysis results back to Earth.
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KEYWORD: MARS ROVER
Mars rovers like this one have already
been sent four times to explore the planet
Mars. To develop this kind of rover,
engineers start by using a computer to
create a drawing showing how it should
look. Then, they construct a model. When
the actual rover is finally complete, it
often looks completely different from the
sketch that they started with, because
they constantly change and improve it in
the course of development.
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