NASA Rover Has Driven 28.1 Miles on Mars, a Record
It could have passed the 28-mile distance mark weeks earlier, but it stopped to examine some light-colored rocks.
The Headlines · Musk Pours $276 Million Into the Midterms, and Federal Agents Raid Home of Rep. Ilhan OmarNASA's Perseverance rover has driven 28.1 miles on Mars, farther than any rover before it.
The car-size rover landed in 2021 to search for signs of past life, and it has spent the years since exploring the area around Jezero crater, on Mars.
28.1 miles is about the drive from Dallas to Fort Worth. That distance does not include the roughly 140-million-mile journey from Earth. It is a big leap over earlier rovers: NASA's first Mars rover, in 1997, traveled just 341 feet.
Perseverance was on the edge of passing the 28-mile mark weeks ago, but it paused for some intriguing light-colored rocks. A big part of its work is documenting rocks like these. That helps scientists look for clues about the solar system's early history, and the rover sends video back to Earth.
NASA thinks the rover could go another 30 or so miles, depending on how many fascinating rocks get in the way.
Questions people ask
How does Perseverance get power if it can't stop for gas?
Perseverance runs on nuclear power, from the natural decay of plutonium, which generates electricity and heat. Solar panels would be less reliable because dust can coat them and block sunlight, as happened with earlier rovers.
Why did 28 miles take more than five years?
It takes years because Perseverance moves slowly and carefully, often just a few hundred feet per drive, while stopping to photograph rocks, drill samples, and wait for instructions from Earth. Signals between Earth and Mars take many minutes each way, so driving is deliberate and cautious.
Is Perseverance the only rover on Mars right now?
No. NASA's Curiosity rover, which landed in 2012, is still active in a different crater, and China’s Zhurong rover also operated on Mars. Perseverance holds the distance record, but it is not alone.