The magazine MAQ September 2018 MAQ Magazine November 2018 | Page 287

Illustration of Rover-1A (back) and Rover-1B (foreground) from MINERVA-II1 as they explore the surface of Ryugu. Image credit: JAXA

Gravity on the surface of Ryugu is very weak, so a rover propelled by normal wheels or crawlers would float upwards as soon as it started to move.

Therefore this hopping mechanism was adopted for moving across the surface of such small celestial bodies.

The rover is expected to remain in the air for up to 15 minutes after a single hop before landing, and to move up to 15 m horizontally.

MAQ/November 2018 / 07