About the Course

Roving Robots: Engineering for Space Missions on Mars

Sojourner, Spirit, and Opportunity—robots sent by NASA to explore Mars—all outlasted their missions but were ultimately bested by the planet’s harsh conditions. Sojourner lost its base station, Spirit got stuck in the planet’s soil, and Opportunity fell prey to a dust storm. With Curiosity still sending selfies from Mars—and Perseverance, which landed there in 2021, still going strong—human space knowledge is benefiting immensely from the scientific work of robots. But how does one design a robot that can survive the red planet while gathering important information? In this course, we'll explore this question while learning programming concepts such as the use of conditionals, variables, functional decomposition, abstraction, and flow control. We will also apply this knowledge while constructing and programming a robot to complete Mars-specific challenges like autonomous maneuvering for retrieving objects, as we gain fascinating insight into robotics in space.

Time commitment: 2.5-3.5 hours per week (1.5 hours of class time, 1-2 hours of independent work). Course will include 12 sessions over 12 weeks.

Course Overview

About Advanced Enrichment Courses

These courses offer above-grade-level material that is presented in a novel context, explored with other advanced learners, and guided by a CTY educator to help prepare students for higher-order thinking and college-style academic challenges.

The content in Roving Robots: Engineering for Space Missions on Mars overlaps with the CTY course Mission to Mars: Robotics in Space. Students who have already taken Mission to Mars: Robotics in Space may wish to consult with an enrollment advisor before enrolling in this course.   

This course is

ungraded.

Classes

Register for an Online course by selecting an open class below. If no open classes are listed, then course enrollment is currently closed. Note: You will need to have an active CTY Account to complete registration through MyCTY.

Wednesdays
-
11 weeks
7:00 p.m. (ET)
$1,850
Enroll

Testing and Prerequisites

  Math Verbal
Required Level CTY-Level Not required
Check your eligibility using existing test scores If you do not have existing test scores:

Students must achieve qualifying scores on an advanced assessment to be eligible for CTY programs. If you don’t have qualifying scores, you have several different testing options. We’ll help you find the right option for your situation.

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Cost and Financial Aid

  • Tuition
    • Varies
  • Application fee
    • Nonrefundable Application Fee - $15 (Waived for financial aid applicants)
    • Nonrefundable International Fee - $20 (outside US only)

CTY Financial Aid Availability for Online Programs

Academic Year 2025-26 (Course start dates July 1, 2025- June 30, 2026): Financial Aid funding is currently available for all eligible students while funding lasts. If interested in applying for financial aid, please select a course with start date of July 1, 2025, or later.

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Course Materials

Please acquire all course materials by the course start date, unless noted as perishable. Items marked as “perishable” should not be acquired until the student needs them in the course. If you have questions about these materials or difficulty locating them, please contact [email protected].
 

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime Set (Please note: the cost of this kit is approximately $400 USD)

Technical Requirements

This course requires a computer with high-speed Internet access and an up-to-date web browser such as Chrome or Firefox. You must be able to communicate with the instructor via email. Visit the Technical Requirements and Support page for more details.

About Computer Science and Technology at CTY

Are you a student in elementary through high school who dreams of being a coder? Do you want to develop critical thinking and learn creative problem solving? And do you want to do it all on your own time and at your own speed? Our fun and lively online Computer Science and Technology courses range from Scratch programming for young scholars to advanced Java concepts and AP Computer Science. Gear up for learning real-world computer languages and practicing new programming skills in an array of projects including animation, game design, web design, and more.

Get started with Computer Science and Engineering

In the Mission to Mars: Robotics in Space course, you’ll get to use your scientific and creative abilities to design and build your own robot to complete Mars-specific challenges. You'll learn programming concepts such as conditionals, variables, functional decomposition, abstraction, and flow control. Get ready to take a hands-on approach in this fun course!

Meet our Computer Science and Technology Instructors