Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidNg
I just wonder, why did Rover traveled almost the same path after 12 days? wouldn't they take all the opportunity available to explore widest areas for such a short life span of the robot?
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The rover (BTW this is Opportunity not the more recent Curiosity rover) is 10 years old so has far exceeded its expected 3 month lifespan, as such they are veeeery careful not to move it more than necessary. While its roving program is ambitious, it is designed to maximise science results rather than cover territory.
Also given the time lag between Mars and Earth (I belive it can take up to 20 minutes for a command to be sent to the rover and back again, roving is a slow process. The longest single day drive I believe is about 220 metres.
Cheers
Malcolm