NASA’s self-driving Mars rover sets an off-world mileage record

The classic lunar rovers that astronauts drove during the Apollo missions have become some of the most recognizable vehicles ever built. They raced across the moon in grainy television broadcasts during the 1970s and have since appeared in countless documentaries, movies and museum displays. But despite their fame, none of them ever made it more than about 22 miles.

On Oct. 11, NASA’s Perseverance rover quietly surpassed them all, along with every other vehicle ever operated on another world. Its odometer reached 28.10 miles, or 45.22 kilometers, narrowly exceeding the 28.06-mile record set by NASA’s Opportunity rover.

NASA marked the occasion with an animated map showing the winding route Perseverance has followed since landing in Jezero Crater in February 2021. During that journey, it crossed an ancient lakebed, climbed through a fossilized river delta and reached the crater’s rim.

Now, it might have endurance, but it won’t be breaking any...

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