Description: A rover is a human-made machine that is sent to the surface of another planet or moon on a spacecraft to study that planet up close, and send the data it collects back to Earth using a communication method. Most can be operated from Earth and move around the surface of the planet or moon, although the Lunar Roving Vehicles of the Apollo mission were driven by astronauts on the Moon. A rover can carry a lot of scientific instruments such as small drills, a sample collecting tool, cameras, and even a small laboratory to analyze its air and ground samples and send the results back.

Related Terms:

• Apollo
• Moons
• Planet
• Planetary Science
• Spacecraft

Term and definition status: This term and its definition have been approved by a research astronomer and a teacher

The OAE Multilingual Glossary is a project of the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) in collaboration with the IAU Office of Astronomy Outreach (OAO). The terms and definitions were chosen, written and reviewed by a collective effort from the OAE, the OAE Centers and Nodes, the OAE National Astronomy Education Coordinators (NAECs) and other volunteers. You can find a full list of credits here. All glossary terms and their definitions are released under a Creative Commons CC BY-4.0 license and should be credited to "IAU OAE".