Experiments and analysis of the role of solar power in limiting Mars rover range

A common explanation for the limited distance traveled by NASA´s past and planned Mars rovers is the limits of solar power. This paper explores this hypothesis and documents a series of experiments with a solar powered rover. A detailed comparison between our rover and Sojourner, with regards to power usage, is presented. Experiments and analysis clearly show that other factors dominate in limiting the range of NASA´s solar powered robots when operating on Mars.