Bouncing over the red planet

Research by MIT scientists could see the Mars being explored by a swarm of baseball-sized probes bouncing over the surface of the planet.

Thousands of the probes, powered by fuel cells, could cover a vast area now beyond the reach of today's rovers, including exploring remote and rocky terrain that large rovers cannot navigate.

"They would start to hop, bounce and roll and distribute themselves across the surface of the planet, exploring as they go, taking scientific data samples," said Steven Dubowsky, the MIT professor of mechanical engineering who is leading the research team.

Dubowsky's team plans to test prototypes on Earth this autumn and estimates that a trip to Mars is about 10 years away. He is now working with Penelope Boston, director of the cave research program at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, to create probes that can handle the rough terrain of Mars.

The tiny probes could investigate the lava tubes left behind by underground lava flows and Mars' otherwise inaccessible canyons for signs of water.