The rocker-bogie rover
Engineers (Advanced), mission M6 Space Machines, lesson 4 of 6.
Hook
NASA rovers climb rocks twice as tall as their wheels. The secret is the suspension.
Fair test
Drive over obstacles 1, 2 and 3 wheel-heights tall. Record: climbed? all wheels touching?
Bonus challenge
Tilt test: what slope makes it tip sideways? Measure the angle.
The build
Rocker-Bogie Rover: Six wheels on a rocker and a bogie on each side, joined through a differential like real Mars rovers, so all six wheels stay on bumpy ground.