Desert double on Earth, Scarecrow, has a full-size version of Curiosity’s wheels and other driving equipment. Engineers use it to test drive on different types of terrain. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity wheel damage on Mars is shown in this Mast Camera (Mastcam) image. Credit: MSSS-MALIN
Engineers on Earth are trying to get a little traction about wheels on Mars.
NASA’s Curiosity rover is showing wheel “wear and tear” that engineers did not expect this early into the mission. Getting to Mount Sharp is a priority, but the robot has had to adjust its driving to compensate for the wheel damage.
Sharp, pointy rocks have played havoc with Curiosity’s wheels, forcing driving teams to seek soft patches of sandy Martian soil.
Desert double
To help lessen the wheel issues on Mars a team of experts recently visiting the Dumont Dunes in California’s Mojave Desert, near Death Valley.
Making use of a Curiosity’s test vehicle for driving, Scarecrow, engineers earlier this month appraised plotting a pathway on the Red Planet that involves trekking across less-damaging sand ripples.
Scarecrow has a full-size version of Curiosity’s wheels and other driving equipment, but doesn’t have the “brains.” Engineers use it to test drive on different types of terrain.
Curiosity is halfway to Mount Sharp, a three-mile-high mountain which scientists call “the Promised Land.” At the base of Mount Sharp, scientists expect to find a variety of rocks and minerals stacked in layers. Each layer could tell a story about what the environment was like when the layer formed as well as any changes through time.
By Leonard David