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I took a little Inspiration by the projected Sample Return Purpose of the new Mars Rover and made something of that kind in KSP

I would like to give this eulogy to probably the greatest feat of space travel engineering yet, Opportunity. From the moment you first made contact on the Martian surface, everyone knew you were destined for greatness. You were meant to last only 90 days, but you pressed on for 15 years. During that time, you collected a treasure trove of knowledge on the Red Planet - opening up new doors to science and engineering. Since that fateful day in 2018, we never gave up on you. May your contributions pave the way for more great feats in the future. "My battery is low and it's getting dark" (Opportunity's final words) If anyone else would like to pay respects, or have anything to say about Opportunity, don't hesitate to reply to this thread.

The JPL built Mars rovers have all used a "Rocker Bogie" suspension system, which allows all 6 wheels to remain grounded. Though, I've built this type of thing in Besiege, and even in VR with Fantastic Contraption, I've never made one in KSP. After installing Infernal Robotics, and having free spinning washers, I realized I finally could. It's called a Rocker Bogie, because it uses 2 wheel bogies (like on a train), which are connected with rockers. There pivot points are completely unpowered, with just gravity keeping the 6 wheels on the ground. My previous Besiege build used a differential gear similar to the one on Spirit and Opportunity to keep the rover body upright. Without gears, I ended up making a Differential Bar, like what was used in Sojourner and Curiosity. Here's some quick clips of the thing. First up is my proof of concept rovering around Kerbal Space Center. Though robust, I could still use bigger wheels. Hopefully, getting this thing on Mun will help me get more science to further unlock the tech tree. In order to get it to fit a bit better into a 2.5m rocket with the smaller fairings (haven't unlocked 3.75m yet), I opted to use some Infernal Robotics sorcery to make it fit, along with taking advantage of the free spinning rear bogie to stow up unpside down. I also loaded it with the life support parts I needed for a long stay, as I'm running MKS. And here it is on Mun. I've never seen a "Lode," so I landed near one and checked it out. At that point, I was just under 300km away from Munar Station Ada Lovelace. So time to start roving. I was expecting it to be a tedious drive, so I've been working on a Rover Autopilot system made in kOS. I've been playing with PID Controls for Cruise Control. Problem is, I tuned it around flat ground near KSC, but it needs a lot of adjusting for the hilly terrain on Mun. I'm averaging about 5m/s, so it'll be a while. About half way to the station now.

Another update thread. This one is generally significant because it begins a more risky mission for curiousity. Nasa link: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-mars-rover-curiosity-reaches-sand-dunes So from 2012 to present, curiousity has sampled interesting sites close to the lander, then moved in the direction of mount sharp moving through some of the basin formations and up the outcrops that form the visible base of mt Sharp, scaling these formations. The wheels have sufferred considerable damage and the surface rsistance that these wheels give bouyancy is looser substrates. These substrates have now come as the rover attempts to scale the sandy slopes of mount sharp beyond its base layers, i hope it brought a flag with it, if it makes the top the only thing it would leave as a marker is its hulk.