Traverse map

APOApplies to the
Apollo ANM20Applies to the
Mars 2020 ANMERApplies to the
MER ANMSLApplies to the
MSL AN

The traverse map shows the rover's movement over time in context of the broader area. Use the traverse map to find data based on location.

What the map shows

Mars rover traverses are plotted on an Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE base map. Annotations show locations where data were acquired. Sol numbers are shown beside some markers. (Autonav images that support driving and intermediate long-term data collection products are not included in establishing these locations.)

The Apollo traverses are plotted on Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter LROC high-resolution controlled mosaics and show stations, instruments, and sample collection locations.

Moving around the map

You can move around the maps several ways.

• Use your mouse to zoom and pan around the map.
• Use the controls in the upper left corner.
• Use the Go to site and Go to sol drop downs on the menu bar.

Linking to data products

Click on a marker to see a snapshot of what's available at that location. For the Mars rovers, you might try using the Go to site/sol drop downs if your coordination is not so hot—you have to click pretty close to the center of the red marker. When you click on a marker, a popup will show a summary of one or more locations at that spot. You'll see the site/drive, the sol(s) when the rover was there, and a synopsis of the data, documentation, etc. that's available (see image below).

Click on the summary and the results will appear in the Location panel to the left (see image below). This should look familiar—it's pretty much what you see in the sol summary listings. From here, you can access the data and such for the current location.

Science target and sample collection layers

mission specific

M20Applies to the
Mars 2020 ANMERApplies to the
MER ANMSLApplies to the
MSL AN

Additional layers are available for some missions. The Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity maps show science targets when zoomed in closely. Click on the Select target button (see image below) and then click on a target to popup a link for full details. The Mars 2020 map has a layer showing locations of sample collection. Individual targets and samples can be selected for further information and links.

Changing the map appearance

mission specific

M20Applies to the
Mars 2020 ANMERApplies to the
MER ANMSLApplies to the
MSL AN

You can change the appearance of map layers in the Perseverance, Curiosity, Opportunity, and Spirit Notebooks. Click the Settings button in the map's upper left corner to access controls for changing layer visibility and appearance (color, text size, symbols, etc.). Click the Settings button again to hide the controls. Note that some annotation layers, like sol numbers, only appear as the map is zoomed into higher resolutions.

Obtaining rover drive telemetry source data and maps

M20Applies to the
Mars 2020 ANMERApplies to the
MER ANMSLApplies to the
MSL AN

Rover position and traverse location data can be downloaded by following the named link in the Resources tab. Data for Mars 2020 and MSL are from the respective archive data sets. The traverse data for MER are derived from the archived Rover Motion Counter data sets, both available from the Resources.

How the traverse map is made

mission specific