https://sputnikglobe.com/20220210/photo-mars-rocky-terrain-leave-curiosity-rovers-wheels-beat-1092896473.html
Photo: Mars' Rocky Terrain Leave Curiosity Rover's Wheels Beat
Photo: Mars' Rocky Terrain Leave Curiosity Rover's Wheels Beat
Sputnik International
Photos captured by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) recently revealed the Curiosity rover’s wheels have sustained major damage during its nearly decadelong... 10.02.2022, Sputnik International
2022-02-10T00:50+0000
2022-02-10T00:50+0000
2022-11-30T10:10+0000
curiosity rover
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Despite the obvious damage sustained by the robot, NASA says there’s nothing to worry about.Even if Curiosity’s six aluminum wheels look as though they should be replaced, Andrew Good, a spokesperson for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, says their eyes on the ground don't have to retire just yet. “The current predicted odometry remaining is expected to be sufficient to support Curiosity throughout the remainder of the mission,” he wrote in an email to Space.Curiosity, which is roughly the size of a car, has been sustaining damage to its wheels since beginning its mission to explore Mars’ Gale Crater in 2012. Since then, the rover has been checking back in with its colleagues on planet Earth, as it's designed to snap photos of its wheels every 500 meters it travels, although that distance was recently extended to 1,000 meters.Curiosity’s mission began in order to determine if the area might have supported microbial life in the past. NASA’s robot has answered these questions, finding that the Gale Crater on Mars had at one point held a lake-and-stream system that most likely persisted for millions of years.Since 2014, the robot’s new mission has been to try and find clues that may answer the question of how this planet, which used to have a warm and hydrated atmosphere, turned into the dry and cold desert planet that we recognize today.Curiosity has traveled a total of 16.86 miles on Mars to answer the scientific community’s burning questions. Though that distance may not seem like much, NASA says an “emergency stop” command would take 14 minutes to reach Curiosity, meaning the robot has to travel slower than a snail so as to avoid any serious safety issues.The rover’s protege, Perseverance, is expected to live up to its name, as the robot was built with wheels that are slightly larger than Curiosity’s and have twice as many treads, making them more sustainable than those fitted on its predecessor. Perseverance has been working at the Jezero Crater since February 2021.All in all, Curiosity has done surprisingly well despite the jagged terrain of its workplace, but that hasn’t stopped people from taking to Twitter to crack jokes on its behalf.
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Photo: Mars' Rocky Terrain Leave Curiosity Rover's Wheels Beat
00:50 GMT 10.02.2022 (Updated: 10:10 GMT 30.11.2022) Photos captured by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) recently revealed the Curiosity rover’s wheels have sustained major damage during its nearly decadelong career. One of its six aluminum wheels is shown to be in particularly bad shape with multiple holes, raised treads and cracks.
Despite the obvious damage sustained by the robot, NASA says there’s nothing to worry about.
Even if Curiosity’s six aluminum wheels look as though they should be replaced, Andrew Good, a spokesperson for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, says their eyes on the ground don't have to retire just yet. “The current predicted odometry remaining is expected to be sufficient to support Curiosity throughout the remainder of the mission,” he wrote in an email to Space. Curiosity, which is roughly the size of a car, has been sustaining damage to its wheels since beginning its mission to explore Mars’ Gale
Crater in 2012. Since then, the rover has been checking back in with its colleagues on planet Earth, as it's designed to snap photos of its wheels every 500 meters it travels, although that distance was recently extended to 1,000 meters.
Curiosity’s mission began in order to determine if the area might have supported microbial life in the past. NASA’s robot has answered these questions, finding that the Gale Crater on Mars had at one point held a lake-and-stream system that most likely persisted for millions of years.
Since 2014, the robot’s new mission has been to try and find clues that may answer the question of how this planet, which used to have a warm and hydrated atmosphere, turned into the dry and cold desert planet that we recognize today.
Curiosity has traveled a total of 16.86 miles on Mars to answer the scientific community’s burning questions. Though that distance may not seem like much, NASA says an “emergency stop” command would take 14 minutes to reach Curiosity, meaning the robot has to travel slower than a snail so as to avoid any serious safety issues. The rover’s protege, Perseverance, is expected to live up to its name, as the robot was built with wheels that are slightly larger than Curiosity’s and have twice as many treads, making them more sustainable than those fitted on its predecessor. Perseverance has been working at the Jezero Crater since February 2021.
All in all, Curiosity has done surprisingly well despite the jagged terrain of its workplace, but that hasn’t stopped people from taking to Twitter to crack jokes on its behalf. 
