Crewed Mars rover

For example, the Austere Human Missions to Mars proposal included two rovers on its uncrewed power and logistics cargo lander.

Each rover could hold a crew of two in a pressurized environment, with power coming from a Stirling radioisotope generator.

It featured modular construction so it could be assembled from smaller parts, and the suggested power source was radioisotope batteries.

Celestial navigation, used for over 500 years on Earth, may provide a way of locating on the Mars surface to within about 100 meters (109 yards).

[16] The same study also suggested a bigger, long-duration rover with tracks and robotic arms, in addition to other types in that crewed Mars mission concept.

[18] Unpressurized Mars rovers would require crew to wear spacesuits due to their lack of air, being functionally similar to the Lunar Roving Vehicle.

A pressurized rover would weigh more, adding to fuel costs both in its launch to Mars and in the higher electricity usage of a larger vehicle.