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

[SL4P]

Power source: anything, complemented with a Batteriser
Funding: anything with the name Trump on it.
Propulsion: anything that comes out of the Rooparvars (also suitable for lubrication)

[CatalinaWOW]

Don't forget to set your GPS to an appropriate geodetic system.  They usually default to WGS84 which is the wrong planet.

[Smokey]

Don't forget to set your GPS to an appropriate geodetic system.  They usually default to WGS84 which is the wrong planet.

Good point.  What is the setting for Mars and how do I test that setting?  I already Googled and that didn't turn up anything...
Thanks! PLease Help!

[ohdsp]

I would really implore you to respect that plastics don't work at -200C

I mean it should be pretty obvious to anyone that most things become brittle at that temperature.

Have you at least considered some tyre warmers!?

[SL4P]

Should be no problem heat-sinking the power electronics.
Perhaps leaves room for a beer fridge?

[obiwanjacobi]

Oh, and be sure to align the use of metric or imperial systems in your code.
You don't want to have any mixup in that.

[2c]

[PointyOintment]

I'm surprised nobody has suggested using a Raspberry Pi yet. Everyone knows Raspberry Pi projects that use Raspberry Pi computers and Raspberry Pi accessories are the best because they're so raspberryful.

Once you have both of these components, there is a documentary on combining the two to create a time machine, it is called back to the future. Once you have your time machine, you can then use it to go to the future to create a flying machine. Although it almost looks like he just used four of these:

Actually, those fans are a vital part of the time machine. As you can learn here, taking two fans and placing them facing toward each other enables whatever's in the middle to travel through time. Evidently Doc Brown has a more advanced four-fan-and-flux-capacitor version, which probably gives better control and enables the use of such a large time machine.

[SL4P]

Oh, and be sure to align the use of metric or imperial systems in your code.
You don't want to have any mixup in that.

Now you've got me thinking...
Which way does Mars' Equator spin?
If the opposite of Earth, does that mean the CPU clocks would have to run at negative frequencies?

[MK14]

Now you've got me thinking...
Which way does Mars' Equator spin?
If the opposite of Earth, does that mean the CPU clocks would have to run at negative frequencies?

We are already running at negative frequencies, because the electron charge was incorrectly polarized a long time ago.
So what we call "Positive" is actually Negative.
Similarly what we call "Negative" is actually Positive.
Hence the negative frequencies.

This is why, despite massive increases in performance frequency, approximately doubling every two years (Moore's law), we actually see e.g. Windows10, with a 4 GHz 8 core processor, actually run a bit slower, than an ancient 4.77 MHz single core cpu (8088), running Dos and the same, simple application (e.g. a text editor).

tl;dr
So on Mars a Windows10 machine would actually run, about a million times faster, compared to Earth.

Anyone who does not believe me, will have to fly/travel over to Mars and perform experiments to disprove me, otherwise I am RIGHT, since I said it first**.

**There CAN'T be anything wrong with that argument, because a number of other internet forum posters (around the internet), use it. 

[vealmike]

I think a little out of the box thinking is needed here.

Avoid having to waste gannt chart time & development dollars on the rocket transportation system by simply assembling the rover from components available on the red planet. If you subcontract the assembly process, all you need to do is email the plans up there.

[bji900]

And I thought this was a legit thread... I actually would like to work on a project like this. I have spent quite a bit of time day dreaming of building Mars hardware and sending it.

[MK14]

And I thought this was a legit thread... I actually would like to work on a project like this. I have spent quite a bit of time day dreaming of building Mars hardware and sending it.

In that case, I've got a VERY rude, 4 letter word, to say to you.
(Email) NASA.
{Maybe get a job, there}
Or even SpaceX.

[ohdsp]

My previous post (reply 30) was a genuine response, mainly as I find this stuff quite fascinating. Most of the real issues of developing hardware for mars is in the temperature extremes. Developing this kind of thing without the right tools to test it is just not possible; it seems to come down to how long you can make it last rather than being something that will work forever.

[MK14]

My previous post (reply 30) was a genuine response, mainly as I find this stuff quite fascinating. Most of the real issues of developing hardware for mars is in the temperature extremes. Developing this kind of thing without the right tools to test it is just not possible; it seems to come down to how long you can make it last rather than being something that will work forever.

Even having the entire/maximum resources of an entire country, may not be enough to do a decent project to land on Mars.

e.g. North Koreas attempts to make an intercontinental ballistic missile system, to (supposedly) launch a nuclear device against its enemies (US).
Which fortunately, have been somewhat/partially unsuccessful.

If it was easy, then maybe they would have succeeded by now.

Similarly, that is why, it is usually said that the US Moon landings, were really to help them develop inter-ballistic Nuclear bomb defense systems and were hugely (or at least somewhat) based on the German V2 ballistic missiles, from world war 2.

[ohdsp]

Even having the entire/maximum resources of an entire country, may not be enough to do a decent project to land on Mars.

Most modern rover "projects", such as the ExoMars 2020 project, are actually a collection of many small projects spread across multiple countries and commercial/educational institutions; and then finally integrated together by a big company like AirBus. These institutions themselves are highly specialised in the aerospace industry. A country like North Korea presumably would not have either the know-how or the resources that even just one of these institutions would have; which mostly comes down to experience and a lot of research especially in an environment such as Mars.

[MK14]

Even having the entire/maximum resources of an entire country, may not be enough to do a decent project to land on Mars.

Most modern rover "projects", such as the ExoMars 2020 project, are actually a collection of many small projects spread across multiple countries and commercial/educational institutions; and then finally integrated together by a big company like AirBus. These institutions themselves are highly specialised in the aerospace industry. A country like North Korea presumably would not have either the know-how or the resources that even just one of these institutions would have; which mostly comes down to experience and a lot of research especially in an environment such as Mars.

In the same way, lone enthusiast can get some quite powerful, usable drones, for e.g. photographing/videoing, otherwise unreachable places, such as the tops of church towers.
Maybe one day, lone hobbyists, will be able to send things to fly to Mars (and probably other places).
But will it be 10 or 1,000 or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 years ?

I've seen some documentaries about how they develop stuff for space missions. The technical details and problems/issues they can have are amazingly mindboggling, and defy most casual/untrained imaginings on the difficulties.

e.g. Making the small navigation computer for the 1969 moon landing, was an immense achievement in its own right, and needed a huge development program, to accomplish it. At the time, similar computers, took up huge cabinets, weighed way too much and used up too much electricity, for a relatively tiny moon capsule.

[Kjelt]

I heard Virgin is going to sent Mr Hawking into space.
Since that is a oneway trip anyway, convince them to sent him to Mars and you can use his wheelchair as the carriage, the processor power in that thing should be enough to do the rest of your experiments 

http://www.businessinsider.com/stephen-hawking-is-being-sent-to-space-on-richard-bransons-ship-2017-3?international=true&r=US&IR=T

[Smokey]

Anyone who does not believe me, will have to fly/travel over to Mars and perform experiments to disprove me, otherwise I am RIGHT, since I said it first**.

I like the way you think.  You are an honorary member of Team Mars Rover for Mars!!

[Smokey]

HEY!!!  LISTEN UP!!! THIS IS MY THREAD!!!!  KEEP IT ON TOPIC!! 

You guys discussing all the ways I can't succeeded in my dream of landing a Pow-Pow-PowerWheels on mars can go get your own thread.  I don't need a history lesson on NASA.. I need help now!!... PLEASE HELP!!

Love Smokey...

[MK14]

I would like to build a Mars Rover
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

(1)..I'd suggest using stepper motors, and around 150 Arduino pins should cope
(2)..Put an ultra high gain amp and ultra high gain (directional) antenna onto a top end GPS PCB, should do it
(2)..Firstly, learn how to count to 2 (see your original post), then worry about the harder problems
(3)..To save money put a few go-pro cameras, into high environmental protection (clear) cases, maybe good enough
(4)..Rather than Digikey or Mouser, I would suggest RS-elec (RS = Rocket Spares) or Ebay. China sells some huge/cheap rockets, usually in the fireworks section
(5)..Use one of the open sourced space flight programs, to calculate it. Remember to choose the landing time carefully...
(6)..Yes, after we make this a reality for you, by knocking you out, and you waking up, with your head strapped inside the latest VR-reality headset. As you wake up, please remember very carefully to NOT remove the virtual reality set, which is running the latest Space Flight Simulation game, on it. Otherwise you may fail to meet your tight timescales

[Richard Crowley]

I agree with @rollatorwieltje that you should simply cruise on over to https://www.indiegogo.com and start a campaign for $150M  You might even collect enough to build a suitable vehicle from the proper materials. 

And there are teams around the planet building small cube-satelites which can hitch a ride on a scheduled commercial launch. http://www.cubesat.org/  Of course you are unlikely to find anyone with a trajectory that reaches even the closest planet, so you will grow old standing at the launch pad with your thumb out.

[SL4P]

Despite being tongue-in-cheek, most of the posts are vaguely aligned with the OP.
I have one more related question.
How often do Martians have sex?

[Mr. Scram]

And there are teams around the planet building small cube-satelites which can hitch a ride on a scheduled commercial launch. http://www.cubesat.org/  Of course you are unlikely to find anyone with a trajectory that reaches even the closest planet, so you will grow old standing at the launch pad with your thumb out.

An automated thumb should not be undoable.

[Smokey]

And there are teams around the planet building small cube-satelites which can hitch a ride on a scheduled commercial launch. http://www.cubesat.org/  Of course you are unlikely to find anyone with a trajectory that reaches even the closest planet, so you will grow old standing at the launch pad with your thumb out.

An automated thumb should not be undoable.

Now that's some problem solving right there!  You're in!

[Smokey]

Despite being tongue-in-cheek, most of the posts are vaguely aligned with the OP.
I have one more related question.
How often do Martians have sex?

Well if Martian men are from Mars, and Martian Women are from Venus, then never unless those Martian men made Venus Rovers for Venus to go bring some Martian Women back from Venus.  Or something like that...