Curiosity update: The rocks vs. stone cold aluminum wheels

2030MH0002640000801521E01_DXXX-br2Sols 2032-33, April 23, 2018, update by MSL scientist Abigail Fraeman: Curiosity drove a little over 16 m to the west this weekend. The rover is currently skirting around the southern edge of a small, blocky impact crater on its way north off the Vera Rubin Ridge.

One of the activities we did this weekend was use MAHLI to take images of the rover wheels. We do this activity, dubbed Full MAHLI Wheel Imaging (or FMWI in NASA acronym speak), every few hundred meters to track damage to Curiosity’s wheels caused by the terrain. It’s important for us to take this observation in order to estimate how much farther the rover will be able to drive before the wheels become inoperable, and also to understand if the sharp edges of the broken wheels risk damaging the nearby cables. So far, we estimate we’re in pretty great shape for our plans to drive a lot farther up Mt. Sharp!

For the last few years, we’ve been actively working to mitigate wheel damage in several ways. JPL engineers developed some smart driving algorithms called “traction control” that reduce forces on Curiosity’s wheels as the rover climb over rocks. Geologists like myself also help by planning drive paths over terrain that is safer for the wheels. We do this on a sol-to-sol basis in tactically staffed roles known as Surface Properties Scientist (SPS)… [More at link]

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