I would like to build a Mars Rover for Mars... please help.......

[Smokey]

I would like to build a Mars Rover and actually send it to mars for a serious science experiment.  I'm just starting out and I'm a poor starving student so I would prefer not to buy one since $150million dollars is a lot of money(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Pathfinder).

I already have the Pow-Pow-Power Wheels Mini-Jeep I would like to use as the basis for the project.  My kids love this thing and it's really tough, so I'm thinking it will have no problems on Mars. 
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Wheels-Jeep-Wrangler-Red/dp/B00IVDVWV4

I was hoping someone could help me out with the other parts of the project...

Here are the things I haven't figured out how to do yet:
1) Anything associated with motors and making it drive - How many arduino pins do I need for this?
2) Navigation - Google maps should be good enough I think.  If not I have a spare Garmin.
2) Long range communications to mars -  I'm thinking bluetooth... maybe zigbee..
3) Sensors - I want a 47 axis IMU, lazer range finders, and probably like 10 cameras. 
4) Space rocket - Who is better for this?  Digikey or Mouser?
5) Space Trajectories - I played a TON of Asteroids back in the day, so I'm pretty sure I got this one.
6) Is there anything else I'm missing?  probably not.. but just asking..

I would like to have this project finished by the end of next week, so please hurry and help me. 

If anyone has any good books about building mars rovers to the above specifications that would be very helpful.  If all goes well I may send my pet hamster Sonny along for the ride.  Just think of the stories he will tell!  EPIC!

Love Smokey.....

[tpowell1830]

I heard Alliexpress was having a sale on #4.

[Smokey]

I heard Alliexpress was having a sale on #4.

WTH!  That's not helpful man!  Don't respond unless you post links.  I have a deadline to meet!

[Alex Eisenhut]

Best I can help you with is mailing a Mars bar to Mars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars,_Pennsylvania

[Smokey]

Best I can help you with is mailing a Mars bar to Mars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars,_Pennsylvania

No... Mars is a planet.. I've already spent like 3 hours doing research on this project so I know that much...

[DaJMasta]

The earth rotates really fast, so I think you don't need a space rocket at all if you make a giant sling, attach it to the ground, let it spin up, and then release one side.  You've just got to get the timing right, but the asteroids training should be good for that.

[Alex Eisenhut]

It's also the name for the month of March in french...

[Koen]

Very disrespectful answers so far. He has a clear idea and bullet points. We should welcome disruptive thinking.

Here's my two cents : you're starting it wrong, don't be too technical at the start. Try to make yourself heard and convince. Convince journalists, random people on facebook, get some buzz going to make people aware something huge is coming. First of all, invest in a nice video explaining your goals*. The more the better, just do it big. Promise plenty of stuff. Go for it ! Maybe aim for Trappist-1 instead ? It's hot right now.
Anyway, make a solid marketing plan and get some crowd funding going. Add a lot of news networks logos, planet pictures, stars and stuff. Limit the texts. It confuses people. I'll be the first to support you.

And don't listen to naysayers, you'll get them technical people on board later. Anything can be solved with like a month delay tops.

*: my little cousin does this, great rates for great ideas.

P.S: What are your credentials ? With such an important task, I think being an arts degree freshman would be a minimum.

[Smokey]

Very disrespectful answers so far. He has a clear idea and bullet points. We should welcome disruptive thinking.

Here's my two cents : you're starting it wrong, don't be too technical at the start. Try to make yourself heard and convince. Convince journalists, random people on facebook, get some buzz going to make people aware something huge is coming. First of all, invest in a nice video explaining your goals*. The more the better, just do it big. Promise plenty of stuff. Go for it ! Maybe aim for Trappist-1 instead ? It's hot right now.
Anyway, make a solid marketing plan and get some crowd funding going. Add a lot of news networks logos, planet pictures, stars and stuff. Limit the texts. It confuses people. I'll be the first to support you.

And don't listen to naysayers, you'll get them technical people on board later. Anything can be solved with like a month delay tops.

*: my little cousin does this, great rates for great ideas.

P.S: What are your credentials ? With such an important task, I think being an arts degree freshman would be a minimum.

Finally someone who understands what I'm trying to do here!  Thanks man!  Great Feedback!  I've never done any of those other things you suggest either though, but with the power of random people on an internet message board I'm sure I can get all that done without missing my Mars launch deadline... I'm so excited!

[xrunner]

A Mars rover for Mars?

Well, where else would a Mars rover go, other than Mars? 

[Koen]

I keep a list of the great ideas this forum has helped come to fruition, page after page after page after page after page after page. Feel inspired :

New Pick and Place design ideas.

Cheap recognition & pick & place & reflow oven solder machine for tiny PCBs.

Pick and Place machine brainstorm.

These very successful authors have bigger fishes to fry now that they are leading most-disruptive companies so they don't keep us up to date much. But don't let that fool you, success made them much more modest. Still, it's their lovely stories, scenic dreams of a better future for all the kids on this planet (and soon Mars thanks to you !!) and, foremost, complete disregard for technical aspects that gave their idea that small extra boost such great endeavours require. It's topics well worth reading. No one believed them. They were wrong.


Here's a perfect example of what naysayers will tell you :

I don't have the answers, just trying to save wasted time on hopeless approaches

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/pick-and-place-machine-brainstorm/msg1026307/#msg1026307

But don't let such things hurt you, guy could barely blink a led if he tried.

[tpowell1830]

Please get in touch with Marvin when you get there.

[Smokey]

I keep a list of the great ideas this forum has helped come to fruition, page after page after page after page after page after page. Feel inspired :

New Pick and Place design ideas.

Cheap recognition & pick & place & reflow oven solder machine for tiny PCBs.

Pick and Place machine brainstorm.

These very successful authors have bigger fishes to fry now that they are leading most-disruptive companies so they don't keep us up to date much. But don't let that fool you, success made them much more modest. Still, it's their lovely stories, scenic dreams of a better future for all the kids on this planet (and soon Mars thanks to you !!) and, foremost, complete disregard for technical aspects that gave their idea that small extra boost such great endeavours require. It's topics well worth reading. No one believed them. They were wrong.


Here's a perfect example of what naysayers will tell you :

I don't have the answers, just trying to save wasted time on hopeless approaches

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/pick-and-place-machine-brainstorm/msg1026307/#msg1026307

But don't let such things hurt you, guy could barely blink a led if he tried.

I feel really really honored to be named in the same breath of these great threads, but I don't know if it's deserved.   I'm just an average guy, who's SUPER excited about electronics, trying to land a Power Wheels on Mars.  I'm sure that's pretty standard stuff.

[beenosam]

I can recommend an OS for your Rover: DawnOS. Trust me, it can process all the scientific stuff with its revolutionary design.

[igendel]

I heard TI have a sale this week on some of their Launchpads, sounds like it could help with the rocket thing.

[MK14]

Buy a drone. Replace all 4 or 6 rotors with Rocket Motors. Put a mini-camera (or dashcam) on it for recording some pictures while it takes its long journey (use timelapse to save SD space, speed up as it lands). Fit a tiny parachute for the landing and an Arduino to activate it at the right time, before landing.
Spray with conformal coating to ensure it can survive the rigors of outer space travel.
If your bad at writing software, obtain the original moon landing software (its open sourced now, I believe), and run it on the Arduino. Remember to change the final destination coordinates, from the moon to where Mars will be when it gets there.
Don't forget to put 4 or 6 small servo motor wheel assemblies underneath it (or better still a pair of tank tracks).

EDIT:
Political reference DELETED, to avoid possibility of causing offense.

[Smokey]

I can recommend an OS for your Rover: DawnOS. Trust me, it can process all the scientific stuff with its revolutionary design.

Listen ... How am I supposed to know what this "DawnOS" thing is from your post.. This was not helpful! 

[Smokey]

I heard TI have a sale this week on some of their Launchpads, sounds like it could help with the rocket thing.

TI the rapper?  What does he have to do with my Mars rover project?  If you aren't going to post anything helpful, then why post here at all? Geeeeze!!!

[JoeO]

I don't know what your budget is but you should probably do a Kickstarter for this project.

I will kick in the first dollar!

[JoeO]

One way is to send a Tweat to Trump, which says "I am NASA, we need to send a Mars Rover to MARS, Please approve $10 Billion for it, else Obama would be a better president".
That should work, he will probably believe anything.

[alsetalokin4017]

There are already several rovers wandering around on Mars. You don't want to create a traffic jam, so why not try for Venus instead? It's closer, and has much less traffic.

[LaserSteve]

You need to build  an UPGOER FIVE...  Here are the plans...


https://xkcd.com/1133/

I'd  strongly suggest adding a Neptunium or Californium based impulse engine to aid in lateral maneuvering, Nasa has found out the hard way that the Martian Air Defense Corps is very, very,  good, except when they rarely get distracted by watching Alien porn videos on Marstube.. That and a retro technology video on their History Channel called EEV BLOG... You take a left turn (literally, I've been there) in Downtown Albuquerque. Go down the highway till you find a place with six concentric fences and a lot of guys out walking their dogs.  Ask at the gate for some free Californium...

What is it these days on lander shootdown scores , like Mars Six, Nasa One??? There is a Worldwide conspiracy to hide these shoot downs as "Technical Failures" or "Human Errors".

Also I hope you know the difference between Imperial Measurements for Imperial Landers, and the Metric System.. One of the last teams forgot that skill, and didn't multiply by 25.4 or something...

PS, Name it Darth Dave..


Steve

[xrunner]

There are already several rovers wandering around on Mars. You don't want to create a traffic jam, so why not try for Venus instead? It's closer, and has much less traffic.

Yea but make sure the one going to Venus is called "Venus Rover" not "Mars Rover", else bad things will happen.

[albert22]

You need to watch this movie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Astronaut_Farmer
It shows everything you need to know about getting to outer space and rockets.

[bobaruni]

4) Space rocket - Who is better for this?  Digikey or Mouser?

You could use a magnetron out of a microwave oven for thrust and you will have an "EM Drive".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RF_resonant_cavity_thruster