America’s first robot moon rover is not kid stuff

The United States skipped a step in the space race. Before NASA sent the first astronauts to the moon in 1969, it sent robotic scouts to crash into the lunar surface, land on it, and map it from orbit. The last three Apollo missions included lunar rovers driven by the astronauts. But in those rushed years to be first, the U.S. never sent a robotic rover, a good way to look at the lunar landscape close-up. Only the Soviet and Chinese governments have. Other countries have tried and failed.

Now, 50 years later, the United States is making up for lost time—but if plans hold up, its first…