Understanding Sophia and the Rover Mission

Sophia’s Perspective

• Sophia is learning, her mission has begun
• Sophia is a robot that interacts with humans in hazmat suits, which she calls bunny suits
• Sophia’s teacher, Mrs. Ennis, is excited about the rover mission to Mars
• Sophia is asked to explain the rover to her classmates, but she feels tired of hearing about it all the time
• Sophia is not sure if she will enter the naming contest for the rover

Rover’s Introduction

• The rover can only sense and observe through hearing when disassembled
• The rover’s brain can control and monitor the movement of its arm, even when it is not physically connected
• The rover’s cameras are referred to as its “eyes”
• The rover is disassembled and its parts are tested
• The rover can understand when a test goes well or fails by reading the code
• The rover understands that someday it will be put back together

Rover’s Determination

• The rover is seventy-two point five percent certain that it is going to Mars
• The rover is not a backup and was built to go to Mars

Sophie’s Letter to Rover

• Sophie is excited about the rover’s mission to Mars and has some important information she wants the rover to know
• Sophie is a sixth-grader and her favorite color is aquamarine
• Sophie plays soccer and enjoys the movie Moana
• Sophie’s mom told her that the rover will make movies when it gets to Mars

Rover’s Environment

• The rover refers to its team as “we” and wonders what Journey calls hers
• The rover observes different things compared to Journey and understands them differently
• The rover feels hotter than it did during the heat test when Rania addresses it directly
• The rover likes that Rania is talking directly to it

Rover’s Concerns

• The rover worries about the dust devils on Mars and if they will cause it to go offline
• The rover understands that Mars has an inhospitable climate
• The rover wonders if what happened to the other rover will happen to it

Rover’s Farewell

• The rover is placed in a box and is not able to communicate with Xander
• The rover is rolling away from everything it knows

The Rover’s Hope

• The rover misses the fluorescent lights of the lab and the people that were there
• The rover wishes it knew where it was going and hopes to see Journey soon
• The rover wonders if Journey is in another box

Rover’s Preparation

• The rover is taken apart again for inspection and adjustments
• The rover is on full alert when it hears the hazmats mention Rania or Xander
• The rover understands there was a flaw in the test bed rover and that a modification needs to be made