Viking-M-2 science rover exploring Mün
Viking-class is currently my main type of uncrewed science rovers for yet another Soviet-themed career. The most noticeable feature of its design is adjustable angle mechanism of two main solar panels, which can be set to any angle between 0 and 60 degrees. This helps not only to provide more sunlight when sun is far from zenith, but also to protect panels from breaking during hard wheel-to-surface collisions. Top speed of this rover class is just above 30 m/s, but recommended cruising speed is 20 m/s. To get rid of excessive maneuverability, which can be dangerous in low-gravity environments, only front pair of wheels are steering. This measure sacrifices a bit of low speed performance and makes any attempt to move backwards very clumsy, to say at least, but travelling within cruising speed margin is mostly safe. Two SAS modules can provide additional steering at low speeds or stabilize rover during jump or freefall. Clearance is enough to travel across most edges but the sharpest ones without scratching the bottom, and chassis is sturdy enough to survive impact with vertical speed less than 25 m/s, though these are not recommended. Full science pack, excluding only materials bay, makes sure that any region exploration with this rover will provide throughout and reliable data. Two joint sockets at the rear may be used for transportation purposes, e.g. by Vikhr' spaceplanes.