Robot Explorers on Mars

Science · Space Exploration · ages 7-9

Name ______________________ Date ____________

What do Mars rovers use to move across the ground?
- Legs
- Wings
- Wheels
Which robot drives across Mars looking at rocks?
- A washing machine
- Curiosity
- A submarine
Perseverance is a robot that explores Mars.
Circle one: True False
Scientists find a faraway planet with air that people cannot breathe. They want to explore its rocks. What should they send first?
- A team of astronauts, right away
- Nothing, that planet can never be explored
- A robot rover
Besides taking photos, what else does a Mars rover do?
- Waters the plants
- Studies rocks and looks for signs of water
- Sings songs
A rover takes a close-up photo of a rock. What does it likely do next?
- Study the rock for clues about water
- Throw the rock away
- Ignore the photo
Why can't astronauts just visit Mars for a quick rock-collecting trip like a day hike on Earth?
- Mars is right next door, like a nearby park
- The trip is very long and Mars has no air to breathe, so people would need special ships and suits
- Astronauts don't like rocks
Mia says rovers fly through the sky instead of touching the ground on Mars. What is wrong with her idea?
- Rovers do fly, Mia is right
- Rovers swim in Martian oceans
- Rovers drive on wheels across the ground, they don't fly

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Wheels · Rovers have wheels, so they can roll over rocks and sand.
Curiosity · Curiosity is a rover that drives across Mars's rocky ground.
True · Perseverance is one of the rovers, and it drives on Mars's surface.
A robot rover · The planet is far away and its air is not safe to breathe, exactly the kind of place where we send a rover instead of people.
Studies rocks and looks for signs of water · Rovers look closely at rocks and search for clues that water once flowed on Mars.
Study the rock for clues about water · Rovers examine rocks and photos closely to find clues about Mars's past.
The trip is very long and Mars has no air to breathe, so people would need special ships and suits · Getting to Mars takes a long journey, and once there, there's no air to breathe, so it isn't a quick hike.
Rovers drive on wheels across the ground, they don't fly · Rovers like Curiosity and Perseverance roll on wheels across Mars's ground. They don't fly.