Mars Rover Sets Driving Record

NASA’s Mars Opportunity Rover has set an off-Earth “driving” distance record, and best of all, it means we’ve beat the Russians. On July 27, the Mars Rover drove 157 feet, officially putting its total distance at more than 25 miles since January 2004. That pushes the off-world vehicle ahead of the Soviet Union’s Lunokhod 2 rover, which landed on the moon in 1973 and drove over 24 miles in less than five months. While the Mars Rover may not be as fast, it has maitained its research mission for over a decade. “Opportunity has driven farther than any other wheeled vehicle on another world,” said Mars Exploration Rover Project Manager John Callas. “What is really important is not how many miles the rover has racked up, but how much exploration and discovery we have accomplished over that distance.”