New NASA Rovers

As advanced as space technology has become, missions have been plagued by operated land rovers becoming stuck in dirt and dunes. Both of the last two Mars Rovers, the Spirit and Opportunity have gotten stuck for weeks at a time. As part of an effort to avoid this unnecessary dilemma, NASA has worked on dozens of new prototypes that are specifically designed to get out of those very tricky situations.

Resembling the animal it's presumably named after, the LEMUR (Limbed Excursion Mechanical Utility Robots) uses its four arms to make its way through steep slopes. Its small size limits the chance of a fall critically damaging its condition.

The Hopper, the name basically gives away what this new prototype is best at. Equipped with six spring-loaded feet, this rover goes where no rover has gone before by completely leaping past obstacles that would have put others out of working order. Jumping one foot on Earth, translating into 6 feet under lunar gravity, the Hopper is ready to set the standard for rovers to come.

Unfortunately, it will most likely take anywhere from 10 to 20 years before any of these concepts actually are used in a space mission. However, when they finally arrive they will undoubtedly help usher in a new era of knowledge of planets.