GROVER, eh?
So, they'll set him down somewhere NEAR...
and then they'll send him somewhere FAR...
and then he'll come back -- but before he gets too NEAR...
they'll turn him back around and send him FAR away again?
INB4 "What a Muppett!"
NASA's newest rover, the Goddard Remotely Operated Vehicle for Exploration and Research (GROVER), tomorrow (May 3rd) starts operations in a frigid alien hell with a climate utterly inimical to human life: the ice sheets of Greenland. GROVER follows familiar design specs: NASA describes it as “tank-like”, an apt choice of words …
NASA used to explore the distant reaches of space, now due to budget cuts they will be exploring closer to home.
More likely its NASA explore the distant reaches of space so are trying out new autonomous rover technology on earth before sending it on a long journey to a place where they can't send the mechanics.