The best Mars-rover tool depends on what you want to do. Use the NASA App for quick access to current mission images on a phone or TV. Choose NASA/JPL’s Explore with Perseverance for a three-dimensional view of Jezero Crater built from rover photographs and orbital imagery. Use Where Is Perseverance? to follow the rover’s route and sol-by-sol location. NASA’s Mars Trek is the strongest choice for map layers, measurements and terrain work, while JPL’s Experience Curiosity lets you drive a virtual rover through Pahrump Hills, replay activities and inspect its hardware. None is a planet-wide Google Street View: each covers a particular mission, location or type of imagery.
Choose a Mars explorer by your goal
“Best” is not one fixed ranking because these projects solve different problems. A casual viewer may want a stream of photographs; a student may need a measurable map; a rover enthusiast may want to understand how a machine moved through a real landscape. The table below gives the shortest route to the right tool.
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| Tool | Best for | What you can do | Scope and limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASA App | Broad discovery on phones and television devices | Browse the latest NASA images, mission information, podcasts and interactive experiences | NASA-wide coverage rather than a rover-only environment; platform availability can change |
| Explore with Perseverance | Understanding Jezero Crater from the rover’s point of view | Move through a three-dimensional rover-and-landscape reconstruction made from Perseverance images, with HiRISE orbital imagery adding wider context | Concentrated on Perseverance’s Jezero Crater locale |
| Where Is Perseverance? | Following the rover’s route | View drive markers, sols, route history and Ingenuity helicopter layers | Mission-specific and dependent on continuing updates |
| Mars Trek | Map analysis, measurements, teaching and terrain making | Combine layers from 50 years of NASA exploration, measure features and export topography for a 3D printer | More analytical than casual; introduced in 2015, so browser and site support should be checked |
| Experience Curiosity | Hands-on rover interaction | Free-drive a WebGL scene at Pahrump Hills, replay rover activities, manipulate components, view highlights and switch among seven camera views | Requires a WebGL-capable browser; JPL guidance lists Chrome, Firefox and Safari |
NASA App: the easiest starting point for real mission imagery
If you want to see what NASA is publishing without learning a map interface, start with the official NASA App. NASA describes it as a place for the latest images, mission information, podcasts and interactive experiences. That makes it a discovery hub rather than a dedicated Mars-rover simulator: Mars material appears alongside NASA’s other missions and subjects.
Supported devices
NASA’s page, updated in 2025, lists versions for iOS, Android, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku. Availability and exact feature sets can change as the agency updates its applications and store listings, so a device that is not on that list should not be assumed to support the app. On a television, the app is useful for shared viewing; on a phone, it is better suited to browsing and reading mission updates.
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- MARS ROVER PERSEVERANCE & INGENUITY HELICOPTER – 4.5 Sheet Model with a challenging difficulty level. Assembled Size: Rover: 4.92 L x 3.54 W x 2.95 H inches. Helicopter: 1.02 L x 1.30 W x 0.79 H inches. 1:30 Scale.
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How to use it for rover photos
- Install the NASA App from the official store for your device.
- Open the imagery or mission area and look for Mars missions, especially Perseverance and Curiosity.
- Open an individual image or mission item to read its accompanying context rather than treating every picture as a map.
- Use the app’s interactive experiences when you want more than a still image, but switch to one of the dedicated tools below for route, terrain or rover-control views.
The app is the right answer when “Where can I see real Mars rover photos?” means “Where can I browse authoritative images quickly?” It is not the best answer when you need a coordinate, a measured distance or a continuous driveable landscape.
Explore with Perseverance: see Jezero Crater as a connected landscape
Explore with Perseverance addresses the gap between a gallery of photographs and a map. NASA/JPL built a 3D rover-and-landscape experience from Perseverance images. HiRISE orbital imagery supplements those ground views, allowing the local scene around the rover to be understood against the larger Jezero Crater setting.
What makes the experience different
A rover camera records a limited field of view from a particular position. In the 3D experience, those observations are assembled into a navigable reconstruction. The result is not a live video feed and should not be mistaken for a complete photographic survey of every square metre. It is a visualization derived from available rover images, with orbital data providing broader geographic context.
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Parker Abercrombie, a NASA/JPL senior software engineer, described it as “the best reconstruction available of what Mars looks like.” That is praise for the reconstruction’s usefulness, not a claim that it is an unprocessed, continuous panorama.
Best uses
- Relating a close-up rock or outcrop to the surrounding terrain.
- Understanding why a rover image has a particular horizon, slope or line of sight.
- Giving students a visual introduction to Jezero before they work with a map or mission log.
- Exploring Perseverance’s operating area without needing to interpret raw coordinates first.
What it does not cover
The experience is focused on Perseverance’s Jezero Crater locale. It is therefore not a general Mars atlas and not a combined street-level view of every rover landing site. For a mission-wide route, use Where Is Perseverance?; for multi-mission layers and measurements, use Mars Trek.
Rank #2
- Mars Exploration Made Easy: GalaxyRVR, compatible with Arduino Uno R3, recreates the experience of real Mars rovers. Inspired by NASA’s rocker-bogie suspension system, it easily travels over rocks, sand, and grass—delivering true off-road capability beyond ordinary robot cars. Powered by solar charging and equipped with real-time FPV, smart obstacle avoidance, and remote control, it brings an immersive Martian adventure right to you. Start with easy controls, then advance to Arduino programming or Scratch block coding. Perfect for students, educators, and DIY enthusiasts
- Tough and Terrain-Ready: GalaxyRVR, crafted from sturdy aluminum alloy and featuring a rocker-bogie system like real Mars rovers, is designed for outdoor exploration and effortlessly tackles diverse terrains such as sand, rocks, grass, and mud pits for seamless adventure
- Solar-Powered and FPV: GalaxyRVR comes equipped with a solar panel, enabling solar charging. Its ESP32 CAM, paired with an app, offers remote control and a real-time FPV experience, bringing exploration to your fingertips
- Intelligent Obstacle Avoidance and Enhanced Lighting: GalaxyRVR is fitted with ultrasonic and infrared sensors, ensuring effective obstacle avoidance. Enhanced by RGB light strips and ESP32 LED lighting, it not only brings vibrancy but also confidently illuminates its path, making exploration in the dark possible
- Beginner-Friendly with Comprehensive Support: The GalaxyRVR kit is designed for easy assembly, allowing users to get started quickly without frustration. It comes with detailed online tutorials and step-by-step video lessons, ensuring a smooth learning curve. Coupled with an active community forum and responsive technical support, even novices can confidently bring this project to life
A practical viewing sequence
- Begin with the wider orbital view to establish where the scene sits in Jezero Crater.
- Move toward the rover reconstruction and identify the ground features that appear in the image-based model.
- Compare the close landscape with the orbital context, noting that the two scales answer different questions.
- Record the feature or area you want to investigate, then move to the route map or analytical map if you need a dated position or measurement.
Where Is Perseverance?: follow the rover, its drives and Ingenuity
Where Is Perseverance? is the clearest choice when your question is “Where is the rover now, and how did it get there?” NASA says the map is updated after every Perseverance drive and Ingenuity flight. It includes route markers, sols and layers for the helicopter, so the rover and its former aerial scout can be considered in the same geographic frame.
Reading the map
- Route markers show the path represented by the mission’s recorded drives.
- Sols identify Martian days, allowing events to be aligned with mission chronology rather than an Earth calendar alone.
- Ingenuity layers add the helicopter’s flights to the rover’s route, making the relationship between ground and aerial exploration visible.
A marker is a mission record, not a promise that every metre between two points has been photographed at the same resolution. The map is most useful for orientation, chronology and route-following; use Explore with Perseverance for immersive surface context.
How to investigate a drive
- Open the map and identify the rover’s latest available marker.
- Select an earlier sol or route point to see how the position changed over time.
- Turn on the Ingenuity layer when you want to compare the helicopter’s flights with the rover’s ground progress.
- Use the selected location as a starting point for image and mission-log reading in NASA’s broader mission coverage.
Because the map depends on continuing mission updates, a pause in new drives or flights can mean that the newest marker is not recent. That is an update-status issue, not evidence that the rover has stopped operating.
How far can a rover drive in a sol?
NASA/JPL reported a Perseverance drive of about 130 metres (142 yards) in a 2021 article. That figure describes the longest drive reported in that article on one sol; it is not a standard daily distance or a forecast for every terrain type. Slopes, hazards, science targets and route planning all affect actual movement.
Mars Trek: the analytical map for layers, measurements and terrain
NASA’s Mars Trek is aimed at investigation rather than casual scrolling. NASA describes it as a free web application built from real data gathered across 50 years of NASA exploration. Interactive overlays and measurement tools let users examine Mars as a geographic dataset, and topography can be exported for 3D-printer workflows.
Rank #3
- IGNITE SPACE EXPLORATION PASSION: Dive into the world of Martian engineering with the Perseverance Mars Rover, an immersive NASA-inspired STEM toy. Assemble and operate a real working Mars rover powered by a powerful motor, equipped with a movable robotic arm, strong grip, and powerful torque, offering the excitement of Martian exploration up close.
- UNVEIL STEM WONDERS: Unbox the future of learning with the Perseverance Mars Rover kit, containing 71 pieces and a 60-page educational and instructions booklet. Aimed at kids aged 8 and above, this kit is more than just a toy—it's a gateway to hands-on STEM education, fostering curiosity and understanding in robotics, mobility systems, electrical connections, and transmission systems, among other disciplines.
- MASTER SPACE MISSION CONTROL: Embark on a journey of discovery as you assemble and control the Perseverance Mars Rover model. With its DC motor capable of driving uphill and crossing uneven surfaces, children simulate Martian exploration missions, learning about the intricacies of mobility systems and experiencing the excitement of space missions on the Red Planet.
- EMPOWER FUTURE INNOVATORS WITH STEM EDUCATION: Inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers with the Perseverance Mars Rover. Through interactive play, children not only gain valuable insights into robotics, engineering, and space exploration but also develop essential skills like hand-eye coordination and concentration, laying the foundation for future STEM careers and innovations.
- BOND THROUGH COSMIC ADVENTURES: Bring families and friends together with the Perseverance Mars Rover kit, fostering teamwork and collaboration as they tackle assembly challenges and simulate Martian exploration missions. Spark lively discussions about space exploration and science, creating lasting memories filled with learning and fun.
Why choose it over a rover-only viewer?
A rover reconstruction shows one mission’s local environment. Mars Trek’s value is breadth: it can place rover sites and other exploration data in a larger planetary framework. That makes it useful when you need to compare locations, measure a feature, or explain how a landing site relates to regional terrain.
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A measurement-oriented workflow
- Open Mars Trek and choose the planetary or regional view that matches the question you are investigating.
- Enable the imagery, elevation or mission layers relevant to the site. Layer names and controls may change as the web application is maintained.
- Use the measurement tools to obtain a distance or area, keeping the selected map scale and units visible in your notes.
- Compare the measured feature with rover and orbital imagery rather than assuming that a single layer represents the entire landscape.
- Export topography when you need a physical terrain model, then verify the export settings in your 3D-printing software before fabrication.
Classroom and research-project uses
- Ask students to locate a rover landing area and describe its regional setting before examining individual images.
- Measure a mapped feature and discuss why a map distance may not equal the distance a rover can safely drive.
- Use multiple layers to distinguish elevation, imagery and mission tracks.
- Export a small terrain area for a tactile lesson or a scale-model project.
Age of the application and browser expectations
Mars Trek was described by NASA in 2015, so its interface and compatibility are older than the mission tools built for Perseverance. NASA’s original description remains useful for understanding its purpose, but a current browser may display controls differently or encounter support changes. If the application fails to load, try an up-to-date browser, disable extensions that block scripts, and check NASA’s current page for a maintained version or replacement.
Jim Green, then director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, said, “This tool has opened my eyes as to how we should first approach roaming on another world, and now the public can join in on the fun.” Kevin Hussey of JPL’s Visualization Applications and Development group similarly said, “Anybody with access to the web can take a journey to Mars.” Those statements capture Mars Trek’s purpose: a public, data-based way to reason about planetary terrain, not merely a decorative 3D globe.
Experience Curiosity: drive and inspect a virtual rover
JPL’s Experience Curiosity is the most hands-on option in this group. Its live WebGL tool covers Pahrump Hills and supports free driving, replaying rover activities, manipulating rover components, viewing highlights and switching among seven camera views.
Browser requirements
The tool requires a browser capable of WebGL. JPL’s browser guidance lists Chrome, Firefox and Safari. WebGL support can be affected by an old browser, disabled hardware acceleration, graphics-driver problems or restrictive privacy extensions. If the scene does not render, update the browser first; then check whether hardware acceleration and WebGL are enabled. A managed school or workplace device may block the graphics features even when the browser itself is current.
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What the controls represent
- Free drive lets you move through the Pahrump Hills environment instead of following only a preselected presentation.
- Replay shows recorded rover activities, which is useful for understanding sequence and timing.
- Component manipulation exposes rover hardware as an interactive subject rather than treating Curiosity as an anonymous camera platform.
- Highlights guide first-time visitors toward notable locations or activities.
- Seven camera views change the perspective, helping you compare what different rover-mounted cameras can show.
A first session that avoids confusion
- Load the experience and wait for the WebGL scene to finish initializing before selecting movement controls.
- Start with a highlight or replay to learn the layout and see how a recorded activity is presented.
- Switch to free drive and move short distances, using the camera controls to inspect the same area from different viewpoints.
- Open the component interaction when you want to understand the rover’s equipment rather than the landscape.
- Use the seven camera views to compare perspective, remembering that a virtual view is an interface to mission data and a reconstruction, not a live camera connection.
Experience Curiosity is localized to Pahrump Hills. It is therefore the closest of these tools to “driving a rover,” but it is not a full-Mars simulator and it does not provide Perseverance’s Jezero route.
Can you explore Mars like Google Street View?
Not in the planet-wide, continuous sense associated with terrestrial street-view services. Mars has separate mission datasets collected at different times, from different vehicles and with different cameras. The tools above combine those datasets in different ways:
- Explore with Perseverance provides an image-derived 3D reconstruction for part of Jezero Crater.
- Where Is Perseverance? emphasizes route and mission chronology.
- Experience Curiosity offers an interactive scene at Pahrump Hills.
- Mars Trek provides map layers and measurements across a much broader planetary dataset.
- The NASA App provides discovery across missions rather than one continuous surface.
Gaps, changes in resolution and differences between orbital and rover viewpoints are normal. A visually smooth interface does not mean that Mars has been photographed continuously from ground level.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Rover imagery versus orbital imagery
Understanding the source of an image prevents common mistakes. Rover cameras operate close to the ground and can show rocks, wheel tracks, slopes and horizons at human-scale perspectives. Orbital instruments view much larger areas from above and are essential for regional geography. Explore with Perseverance deliberately combines these scales: Perseverance images supply the local experience, while HiRISE imagery supplies the wider Jezero context.
When comparing two views, ask three questions:
- Are both images from the same mission and location?
- Is one view orbital and the other rover-based?
- Is the apparent difference caused by lighting, viewing angle, scale or a genuinely different location?
These checks matter when you use a screenshot in a lesson, identify a feature on a map or try to reproduce a rover scene in a model.
Best Value
- Feed a passion for science and technology – Kids can learn more about the challenges of space exploration with this LEGO Technic NASA Mars Rover Perseverance (42158) building toy set
- Conduct a test flight – This advanced building kit for kids ages 10 and up includes a buildable toy version of NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter, which accompanied the Perseverance Rover and was used to test powered flight on Mars
- AR brings the mission to life – The accompanying augmented reality app experience lets kids dive into the details of the rover and its mission
- Explore the functions – Features 360° steering, movable arms and fully articulated suspension that lets the vehicle travel across uneven surfaces, plus buildable scientific instruments
- A gift for kids who love engineering – This Mars Perseverance Rover NASA toy makes a great gift idea for kids with a passion for space exploration, technology or science projects
Using the tools together: a complete Mars-rover exploration plan
The strongest experience comes from combining tools instead of forcing one application to answer every question.
- Start broad in the NASA App. Browse current mission coverage and choose whether Perseverance, Curiosity or another NASA mission matches your interest.
- Establish geography in Mars Trek. Locate the mission area, turn on useful layers and measure the feature or distance that frames your question.
- Follow Perseverance’s chronology. Use Where Is Perseverance? to connect route markers and sols, adding Ingenuity’s flights when aerial context matters.
- Inspect Jezero locally. Open Explore with Perseverance to understand how the rover’s photographs fit the surrounding crater landscape.
- Switch missions for interaction. Use Experience Curiosity when your goal is to operate a virtual rover, replay activities or study rover components at Pahrump Hills.
- Save observations with their source. Record the tool, mission, sol or map layer and viewpoint so another person can tell whether an observation came from orbit, a rover camera or a reconstructed scene.
Maker projects: from a map export to a physical rover
Mars exploration tools can lead naturally to a classroom or hobby project. Mars Trek’s exportable topography is suited to a terrain workflow: select an area, export the elevation data, prepare it in a 3D-printing application and print a scaled surface. Keep the scale, vertical exaggeration and unit conversion in your project notes; a dramatic model may intentionally magnify relief and should not be presented as a literal-size replica.
NASA also provides a printable Curiosity rover model, and the interactive Curiosity documentation exposes rover components for inspection. Together, those resources can support a project in which a printed rover is placed on a printed or constructed terrain section. The physical model is an educational extension of the digital experience, not a substitute for the mission’s measured data.
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- Label the mission and location: Curiosity at Pahrump Hills, or Perseverance in Jezero Crater.
- State whether the terrain came from orbital elevation data, a rover reconstruction or an artistic interpretation.
- Keep a scale bar or written scale with the model.
- Record the date and version of the web tool used, because interfaces and availability can change.
- Do not imply that a printed rover has the dimensions or capabilities of the flight vehicle unless those specifications are separately documented.
Access, maintenance and troubleshooting
The page loads but the scene is blank
This is most likely to affect WebGL experiences such as Experience Curiosity. Update Chrome, Firefox or Safari, check hardware acceleration, and temporarily test without script-blocking extensions. On a managed device, ask the administrator whether WebGL is restricted.
A NASA tool looks different from a tutorial
NASA and JPL update web applications, and older screenshots may show controls that have moved or disappeared. Confirm that the tutorial refers to the same mission and tool, then look for the current NASA or JPL landing page rather than relying on an old deep link.
The route or image set appears incomplete
Mission tools are not updated in exactly the same way. Where Is Perseverance? depends on new drive and Ingenuity-flight updates; a route may therefore end at the latest published marker. A reconstruction may cover only a selected locale, while Mars Trek may use layers from different dates and missions. Treat each tool’s scope and update status as part of the data.
A measurement does not match a rover drive distance
A map measurement describes geometry between mapped points. A rover’s actual path must avoid hazards, climb slopes and satisfy science objectives. The approximately 130-metre Perseverance drive reported by NASA/JPL for one 2021 sol illustrates a documented mission result, not a conversion factor between map distance and daily travel.
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Which tool should you recommend?
- For a family or first-time visitor: NASA App.
- For a visual explanation of Jezero Crater: Explore with Perseverance.
- For “where has Perseverance been?”: Where Is Perseverance?
- For a lesson involving layers, measurements or 3D printing: Mars Trek.
- For interactive rover play and hardware inspection: Experience Curiosity.
These choices are complementary. The NASA App supplies breadth, the Perseverance tools supply mission-specific context, Mars Trek supplies analytical geography and Experience Curiosity supplies hands-on interaction. Using the tool that matches the question produces a more accurate picture of Mars than treating any one interface as a complete street-level map.
Quick Recap
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