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On Jan. 25, 2004, the Opportunity Rover landed on the Meridiani Planum of Mars. (Its twin rover, Spirit, had landed on the other side of the planet three weeks before.) Originally designed for a 90-day mission, “Oppy” explored the surface of Mars for an astounding 14 years, finally shutting down when a massive dust storm covered its solar panels in June of 2018.

Students can explore what it is like to direct a rover mission using the Programmable Rover Gizmo. Exploration begins in the training ground on Earth, where students learn to write code to direct the movements of the rover. The rover can move forward or back, turn left or right, hop, and pick up rock samples. Students begin by using a code library of draggable tiles, then shift to written code similar to Java, which allows for more options and greater efficiency. Can students complete all of the missions before they run out of battery power?

You and your students can learn more about the amazing Opportunity rover from the excellent documentary “Good Night Oppy,” available on Prime Video.