Rover drivers steer and operate robotic rovers on other planets from earth.
Rover Driver
Rover Driver
VIRTUAL JOB SHADOW
Welcome to your first day on the job! Watch this video to see a day in the life of a Rover Driver.
Click for salary, education, & more: Rover Driver (conductor rover)
With each rover costing billions of dollars, rover drivers cannot make mistakes!
Just like they did in the video above, the best way to perfect your rover driving skills is through practice here on earth. Luckily there is an easy, fun way to get started! Here’s what to do:
STEP 1: Find an open space with rocks and sand. Perhaps your backyard has one, or a local playground sandbox.
STEP 2: Practice driving! If you have a remote control truck or car that’s ideal, but you could also use matchbox cars or similar toy vehicles.
- How can you keep the car from tipping over?
- What’s the best way to navigate around holes?
These are some of the many real scenarios a rover driver must deal with!
STEP 3: Once you have the basics of rover driving, test your skills with the real thing! Use this interactive map of Perseverance, the rover that touched down on Mars February 18, 2021.
STEP 4: Imagine you are the rover driver in charge of Perseverance. Where would you navigate to? What obstacles might you encounter? Create a map to answer these 2 questions.
STEP 5: Share your rover driver map in the Student Showcase to build your resume!