From Google News

With the Mars Rover moving across the Red Planet seeking traces of past life, the researchers were handicapped by a number of problems which afflicts the wheeled rover; scientists are looking for better modes for the future vehicles which will transverse the Martian surface.  One such Mars Rover which will be used in the future Mars missions and has been aptly termed the Mars Hopper, a robot which could hop across the planet literally over obstacles.

The idea of the Mars Hopper, a robot which can jump across the red planet is being developed by a team of UK researchers. The present rovers use wheels which can move across the Martian surface. However the wheels are clumsy and can get trapped in sand traps, steep slopes and boulder fields. On the other hand a hopper can jump over obstacles and can then land on a safe and flat surface.

A team of researchers from the Leicester University and the Astrium space company are suggesting the use of vehicle which is driven by a radioisotope thermal rocket engine. The modus operandi of the vehicle is as follows. Carbon Dioxide which is plentiful in the Martian Atmosphere will be extracted and then compressed and liquefied. The liquefied Carbon Dioxide is then pumped into a chamber where it is exposed to intense heat from the radioactive source. The liquefied CO2 would then explosively expand through a nozzle delivering a thrust which can enable a spacecraft weighing more than a ton across a distance of 900 meters.

Hugo Williams, from Leicester's Space Research Centre  said, "The advantage of this approach is that you have the ability to traverse more aggressive terrains but also that you have wider mobility – the possibility of traversing much greater distances than we have with even the very successful rovers,"

The idea was first proposed three years back and scientists are trying to perfect the technology which wills one day powering the future space craft's designed to explore other planets.

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