Rover route with a science reason
25 minutes · Squared paper or a drawn 6-by-6 grid · Pencil
Your investigation
- Label grid columns A–F and rows 1–6. Start at A1; mark rock targets B3 and E5, and blocked steep slopes C3, C4, and D4.
- Plan a route that reaches both targets using only up, down, left, or right moves. Do not cross blocked cells.
- Count moves. At each target, write an observation you would make before collecting a sample.
- Ask a partner to check your route and explain why a safer route can be better than the shortest one.
Think, draw, explain
Give one valid route visiting both targets.
What should a rover observe before sampling?
Grown-up guide & possible answers
- One valid route is A1→A2→A3→B3→B2→C2→D2→E2→E3→E4→E5, taking 10 moves. Other safe routes are valid.
- Examples include rock layers, grain texture, nearby terrain, and instrument measurements. A sample is more useful when its geological setting is recorded.