Test Rovers
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory maintains a pair of rovers at its location in Pasadena for testing and modeling of situations on Mars. One test rover, weighing approximately 180 kilograms (400 lb), is fully instrumented and nearly identical to Spirit and Opportunity. Another test version is identical in size and drive characteristics but does not include all instruments. It weighs in at 80 kilograms (180 lb), much closer to the weight of Spirit and Opportunity in the reduced gravity of Mars. These rovers were used in 2009 for a simulation of the incident in which Spirit became trapped in soft soil.
Read more about this topic: Mars Exploration Rover
Famous quotes containing the word test:
“[17th-century] Puritans were the first modern parents. Like many of us, they looked on their treatment of children as a test of their own self-control. Their goal was not to simply to ensure the child’s duty to the family, but to help him or her make personal, individual commitments. They were the first authors to state that children must obey God rather than parents, in case of a clear conflict.”
—C. John Sommerville (20th century)