Mars Rover Size report
The Mars rover is a mobile probe used for Mars exploration when it landed on Mars. It is a vehicle launched by humans to travel and conduct investigations on the surface of Mars. The rover has been launched many times before by the United States and the former Soviet Union. The rover sent a large amount of Mars data, which has contributed to humankind's understanding of Mars.
The "Zhu Rong" rover carried by China's "Tianwen 1" Mars Rover successfully landed on Mars at 7:18, May 15, 2021, Beijing time (23:18, May 14, GMT). China's first successful landing mission to Mars also made China the second country after the United States to successfully send a probe to Mars.
The American Mars rover Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance landed on the surface of Mars several times from January 2004 to February 2021, respectively. Full-scale models of three generations of NASA Mars rovers show the increase in size. The following article introduces more details about the Mars rover sizes and designs.
Mars Rover Size Guide
After the invention of the astronomical telescope, humans' understanding of Mars began to increase, but we are never stopping exploring space and other planets. Humans have always been very interested in Mars, Earth's nearest neighbor. In the 1960s and 1970s, the former Soviet Union tried many times to send probes to land on Mars, but they failed. The Viking 1 of the United States landed on Mars in 1976 and was the first probe to land successfully.
Mars Curiosity Rover Size
Curiosity rover is the most ambitious Mars mission yet flown by NASA. The rover landed on Mars in 2012 with a primary mission to find out if Mars is, or was, suitable for life. Another objective is to learn more about the Red Planet's environment.
| Body | a structure that protects the rovers' "vital organs" |
| Brains | computers to process information |
| Eyes | cameras and instruments that give the rover information about its environment |
| Arms | a way to extend its reach and collect rock samples for study |
| Wheels | parts for mobility |
| Energy | batteries and power |
| Temperature controls | internal heaters, a layer of insulation, and more |
| "Neck and head" | a mast for the cameras to give the rover a human-scale view |
| Size | About the size of a small SUV — 10 feet long (not including the arm), 9 feet wide and 7 feet tall — (about 3 meters long (not including the arm), 2.7 meters wide, and 2.2 meters tall), or about the height of a basketball player. |
| Arm reach | About 7 feet (2.2 meters) |
| Mass/Weight | 899 kg (1,982 lbs in Earth gravity; 743 lbs in Mars gravity) |
| Features | Geology lab, rocker-bogie suspension, rock-vaporizing laser and lots of cameras |
| Mission | To search areas of Mars for past or present conditions favorable for life, and conditions capable of preserving a record of life |
| Launched | 7:02 a.m. PST, Nov. 26, 2011 (10:02 a.m. EST) |
| Landed | 10:32 p.m. PDT, Aug. 5, 2012 (1:32 a.m. EDT, Aug. 6, 2012) |
| Length of mission on Mars | The prime mission lasted one Mars year or about 23 Earth months, and Curiosity continues to operate on Mars today. |
| Mission Fact sheet | Download the Mars Science Laboratory Fact Sheet (PDF, 1.44 MB) |
Mars Perseverance Rover Size
The 2020 Mars rover, Perseverance, is based on the Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity rover configuration. It is car-sized, about 10 feet long (not including the arm), 9 feet wide, and 7 feet tall (about 3 meters long, 2.7 meters wide, and 2.2 meters tall). But at 2,260 pounds (1,025 kilograms).
| body | a structure that protects the rover's "vital organs" |
| brains | computers to process information |
| temperature controls | internal heaters, a layer of insulation, and more |
| "neck and head" | a mast for the cameras to give the rover a human-scale view |
| eyes and ears | cameras and instruments that give the rover information about its environment |
| arm and "hand" | a way to extend its reach and collect rock samples for study |
| wheels and legs | parts for mobility |
| electrical power | batteries and power |
| communications | antennas for "speaking" and "listening" |
Mars Zhu Rong Rover Size
The "Zhu Rong" Mars rover has a total weight of 240 kilograms, and its dimensions are 3.3 meters in length, 3.2 meters in width, and 1.85 meters in height. Its travel speed on Mars is 200 m/h, powered by solar panels, and its design life can run for 3 Mars months, which is equivalent to about 92 Earth days. The United States' Perseverance rover has a total mass of 1,025 kilograms and a size of 3 meters in length, 2.7 meters in width, and 2.2 meters in height. It is powered by a radioisotope nuclear motor and has a total power of 110 watts.The successful landing of the Mars rover is a landmark sign of the development of the aerospace industry of various countries. With the continuous development of science and technology, I believe that more advanced rovers will land soon and bring back more critical information about the secrets of space and Mars.
