Space Rover Maze Challenge

You’ll need

Remote-control car (or rover)
Various objects to create the maze (e.g., books, chairs, blocks, cardboard, rocks, or any other available items)
Tape (optional to mark boundaries)
A large enough space to set up the maze

Before you begin

Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There’s also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help.

Planning and setting up the activity

Make sure to protect or move any objects that may be damaged or easily hit when using remote controlled cars.
Set up a maze and obstacles for people to navigate around, either indoors or outdoors. You may want to have several different mazes for people to try and have clear boundaries.

Running the activity

Gather everyone together and ask if anyone knows what a space rover is.
Explain that rovers are remote-controlled robotic vehicles that are sent to moons and planets, such as Mars, to collect information. Curiosity landed on Mars on 6 August 2012. The rover has been exploring the surface of Mars ever since, and has made some pretty cool discoveries - even taking the first selfie on Mars! The robot's mission is to search for evidence of life and to learn more about the planet. It can take pictures, collect samples and study the surface of the planet - and then beam the information back to scientists on Earth. Nasa rovers often take detailed selfies of themselves so that a huge team of engineers back on Earth can check them over and make sure they're ok. They can also adjust the speed at which Curiosity moves across the terrain and slow the robot down if needed. (Source: BBC Bitesize, 2024)
Explain how scientists on Earth control rovers on Mars or other planets. Scientists on Earth control rovers on Mars by planning a full day during the Martian night. They prepare and upload commands via satellites, which relay signals to the rover. Scientists analyse data, prioritise tasks, and send a ‘to-do’ list to the rover. The rover, like Curiosity, has autonomy to avoid hazards using its cameras and safety protocols, adding pressure to the planning. To practise movements, scientists use mock Curiosity rovers in a Mars Yard, a simulated environment with rocks, sand and a cliff face.
Explain that everyone’s going to practise controlling a remote-controlled car, just like scientists practise controlling rovers in the Mars Yard.
Ask everyone to get into small groups and give each group a remote-controlled car.
If you haven’t already, each group could set up a maze in their area. It should have bends, obstacles and tight spaces that challenge the driver and require them to use precision. You could also include a reversing area where the driver must do a three-point turn or move in and out of.
Once the maze is built, each group can take it in turns to practise controlling the car through the different mazes.
To make it harder, you could:

- Time people to see who is the quickest.
- Have someone wear a blindfold and the rest of the group must tell them what to do.
- Have one person have their back to the maze, so they can’t see it, and the rest of the group need to silently communicate and direct them around the maze.
- Challenge the groups to write steps that another group must then use and follow to get round the maze, just like the space rover’s to-do list!

Reflection

This activity was all about space rovers. Any reaction delay between pressing the button and the car moving made us think about how tough it must be for scientists to control rovers on other planets from Earth. What can you remember about rovers? What do you think it’s like trying to control a space rover? What could help them and what might make it more difficult? What were the trickiest or easiest parts of the course? Did any of the extra challenges, if you did them, surprise you?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.

Science: Supervise young people, and only do science activities that are advised and age appropriate for your section. Test activities first, to make sure you’re confident you can lead them safely. Use protective clothing where necessary.
Outdoor activities: You must have permission to use the location. Always check the weather forecast, and inform parents and carers of any change in venue.
Active games: The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.