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Mars rover worth 2.5 billion dollars has holes in its wheels. Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
NASA's Curiosity, which has been searching for signs of life on the Red Planet for more than 12 years, has been damaged. A photo was posted online showing a large hole in the space robot's wheel.
But NASA assures that it has everything under control. After all, the rover has 6 wheels, so it is still on the move, TheSun writes.
According to NASA, Curiosity has been exploring Gale Crater since 2012. That's long enough to withstand dust storms, drive along the foot of the mountain, and crawl over endless sharp rocks. That's why the rover's aluminum wheels are covered with holes that are clearly visible in the published photos.
However, NASA emphasizes that everything is fine, because the damage is not critical. Curiosity has six wheels. The right wheel does not look good. "But it's still holding up well despite some of the worst abuse from Mars," wrote the rover's engineer Ashley Stroope.
Experts note that the damage has been building up over the years, so the rover team has found some clever solutions to extend the life of the wheels. In particular, it carefully studies the path of the robot researcher and tries to avoid particularly tough terrain. Curiosity can also drive backwards over uneven areas to reduce the load on certain wheels.
Scientists assure that they regularly check the wheels. "This is an activity we do periodically to assess the condition and health of Curiosity. It will take us about three hours to get a full documentation of the condition of the wheels," said Remington Free, a member of the Curiosity team.
According to NASA, the newer Perseverance rover, which landed on another Mars crater in 2021, has a modified wheel design. They are larger in diameter, narrower, and have curved treads, unlike the chevron pattern used for Curiosity. The changes are intended to prevent the problems that Curiosity has encountered.
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