1Meet the Ultimate Space Explorers
Robots are the ultimate pioneers of the final frontier. Because space is millions of miles away, it takes a long time to travel there; for example, a trip to Mars usually takes about seven months! Since robots don't need to eat, sleep, or breathe oxygen, they are the perfect passengers for these long journeys. They act as our remote-controlled scouts, landing on dusty plains and icy moons to make sure everything is safe before humans ever arrive.
2High-Tech Tools for Alien Worlds
These mechanical explorers are packed with some of the coolest gadgets in the universe. The Perseverance rover, which is about the size of a car, carries a high-tech drill to collect core samples from Martian rocks. It even brought along a tiny friend named Ingenuity, a 4-pound helicopter that proved we could fly aircraft through the thin atmosphere of another planet! These robots use cameras that can zoom in on a grain of sand and sensors that "smell" chemicals in the air to find out if water—or even life—existed millions of years ago.
3Surviving the Deep Freeze
Building a robot for space is a massive challenge because the environment is so extreme. On Mars, the temperature can swing from a comfortable 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the day to a bone-chilling -190 degrees at night! Engineers use special materials like gold foil and heaters to keep the robot's internal computers from freezing. These tough machines also have to survive harsh radiation that would be very dangerous for people, proving that robots are truly the bravest explorers in the galaxy.
