Rough Roving: Curiosity's Wheel Damage 'Accelerated'

astroengine writes "Despite the assurances that the holes seen in Mars rover Curiosity's wheels were just a part of the mission, there seems to be increasing concern for the wheels' worsening condition after the one-ton robot rolled over some craggy terrain. In an upcoming drive, rover drivers will monitor the six wheels over some smooth terrain to assess their condition. "We want to take a full inventory of the condition of the wheels," said Jim Erickson, project manager for the NASA Mars Science Laboratory at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 'Dents and holes were anticipated, but the amount of wear appears to have accelerated in the past month or so.' Although the wheels are designed to sustain significant damage without impairing driving activities, the monitoring of the situation is essential for future planning."

Comments

Re:Typical

[Anonymous Coward]

The thinness of the rovers wheels isnt so much about saving money as it is about saving weight.

Every ounce the wheels dont weigh is another ounce for science equipment or batteries.

So im sure they made them absolutely as thin & lightweight as they thought they could get away with.