Editing Mars 3 (section)

====PrOP-M rover====
{{Main|PrOP-M}}
[[File:PrOP-M.jpg|thumb|Rendering of the PrOP-M]]
Mars 3 lander had a small 4.5&nbsp;kg [[Mars rover]] on board, which would move across the surface on skis while connected to the lander with a 15-meter umbilical. Two small metal rods were used for autonomous obstacle avoidance, as radio signals from Earth would take too long to drive the rovers using remote control. The rover carried a dynamic penetrometer and a radiation densitometer.<ref name=Perminov1/>

The main PrOP-M frame was a square box with a small protrusion at the center. The frame was supported on two wide flat skis, one extending down from each side elevating the frame slightly above the surface.

The rover was planned to be placed on the surface after landing by a manipulator arm and to move in the field of view of the television cameras and stop to make measurements every 1.5 metres. The traces of movement in the Martian soil would also be recorded to determine material properties.

Due to communication loss it is unknown whether the rover was deployed.