Ten School students from Cuttack based Navonmesh Prasar Student Astronomy Team (NaPSAT) have designed a rover that will be exhibited at the NASA Human Rover Exploration Challenge 2021. One of the members of NaPSAT told the media, "Our team at Navonmesh Prasar Foundation got the selection letter on November 6, 2020. Ten students have worked hard for the last eight months even during the pandemic to make their rover, NaPSAT 1.0 (Navonmesh Prasar Student Astronomy Team). They are hoping to bring back an award from NASA to India." Therefore, we take a look at what this rover NaPSAT 1.0 all about and when the first rover had been invented.

What is a rover in space?
A rover is a planetary surface exploration device. which is designed to move on the solid surface of a planet or other planetary-mass celestial bodies. They are designed in a way that they collect all the information of the terrain and take samples such as dust, soil, liquids, etc.

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When was the first rover invented?
On July 4, 1997, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the space agency from the United States deployed the first rover called Sojourner on Mars. It landed on a region called Chryse Planitia on Mars.  

What is rover NaPSAT 1.0 and why was it designed?
The rover has been designed for the Artemis Mission 2024 (Moon mission) where the first woman and man will be sent to the Moon. The rover is capable of travelling on different kinds of martian terrains.

How many rovers have been sent to the moon?
Five rovers have been sent both by the US and Soviet Union. All five have been traced by the NASA orbiter and they are used to collect the required data.