Q&A: Mars Perseverance Rover Sets a Distance Record

On October 11, the Perseverance rover completed a drive that brought its total distance traveled on Mars to 28.10 miles (45.22 kilometers). This is a new record for Mars rovers, enabled in large part by Perseverance’s ability to drive with much more autonomy than its predecessors. Over the last five years, Perseverance’s autonomy software has been steadily upgraded, and to learn more about how the record was broken and what the future holds for the rover, we spoke with Mark Maimone,