connect to a Mars surface habitat, ascent stage, or other rover, allowing the passage of people in a pressurized thru-way after docking Suit port – an integrated combining of the rover with a Mars suit design, allowing a person to enter a Mars suit that has an opening connected to the pressurized interior of the rover, yet the rest of suit exterior remains exposed to the Mars environment. This would avoid having a separate airlock or depressurizing the whole vehicle when opening an exterior hatch Modular design – this a design concept that would mean making components of the rover able to be swapped for other components in convenient way or disassembled into smaller sections. For example, a rover might able to be broken down it smaller pieces that are assembled on the surface after being landed on the surface of Mars. This would allow for larger rovers to be delivered to the surface of Mars. A modular design would also allow for different work packages, such as a crane, backhoe, or cable winch, to be swapped in as needed. Chariot piloting station – this is a place for a Mars-suited astronaut to control the rover without having to re-enter the pressurized area Ice-shield heat sink – one idea is to have a 2.5 cm barrier of ice as shielding, and this ice could also be used as a heat sink Additional possible technologies: Fuel cells and/or high-energy-density batteries Regenerative brakes Wheels Light-weight structures and materials Active suspension Avionics and software Extravehicular activity (EVA) support Thermal control systems Automated rendezvous and docking A 2004 analysis of a crewed Mars surface mission suggested the following types of rovers: A light truck, powered by methane and oxygen Open rover Pressurized rover In crewed Mars missions, rovers are sometimes grouped under the term "Mars surface elements". Unpressurized rover Unpressurized Mars rovers would lack a pressurized environment for the crew, being functionally similar to the Lunar Roving Vehicle. There are several advantages to having an unpressurized rover as opposed to a pressurized variant, such as a reduced weight. Since range of a potential rover that carries crew from base is important, a light weight is an advantage and therefore is a good choice for long range missions. An unpressurized rovers can also be used to move heavy load, travel short distance from base to the location of a bigger pressurized rover. See also Electra