Tuesday, April 04, 2017

NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover is Experiencing Wheel Deterioration


The NASA Curiosity Mars rover has developed a break on one of it's six battered aluminum wheels. A recent photo check of the rover's left middle wheel revealed two small breaks, NASA officials said Tuesday March 21. But the rover can still drive on the Martian surface with little difficulty.

The breaks were spotted in the wheel's raised treads, known as grousers, on Sunday March 19th after photos from Curiosity were compared to similar ones from a previous wheel check on Jan. 27. Pits, holes and dents have been noted before, but the two broken treads are the first sign of deeper wear on the affected wheel.

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