Comparison of embedded computer systems on board the Mars rovers

The embedded computer systems onboard Mars rovers are designed to withstand high radiation levels and large temperature changes in space.

For this reason their computational resources are limited compared to systems commonly used on Earth.

[1] Direct teleoperation of a Mars rover is impractical, as the round trip communication time between Earth and Mars ranges from 8 to 42 minutes and the Deep Space Network system is only available a few times during each Martian day (sol).

[1] A rover uses autonomy software to make decisions based on observations from its sensors.

The Mars Exploration Rovers can generate 15,000 (nominal) to 40,000 (survey mode) 3D points.