NASA’s Curiosity rover celebrates its 11th year on Mars on Aug. 5, but the relentless spacecraft is still pushing itself to explore the Red Planet.
Curiosity Its path winds its way through the foot of Mount Sharp, a 3-mile (5-kilometer) long mountain that, billions of years ago, was home to lakes and rivers.
The terrain is challenging, but the mountain layers provide unprecedented insight into various past eras of Mars and how the planet’s landscape has changed over time.
Related: Curiosity Rover: 15 stunning photos of Mars (gallery)
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover left several paths where the robot went wrong, or stopped abruptly en route, during a particularly difficult slope climb. This image is part of a panorama captured by the rover’s navigation camera on June 8, 2023. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
The effort recently presented Curiosity and its team of drivers, planners, engineers and scientists with its toughest climb ever: a steep 23-degree climb covered in slick sand and boulders the size of a wheel.
Amy Hill, driver of the Curiosity rover at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, said in a statement. statement.
This combination of features left the rover struggling to make headway. NASA said an attempt on June 1 caused the Curiosity rover to suddenly pass over the rock, causing significant suspension travel and causing a safety error, halting the journey.
Image from the rover’s navigation camera to publish June focused on multiple rear wheels as the tireless Curiosity tried to climb the slippery, rock-strewn slope.
Further engine damage, which could be triggered by too much wheel slipping or being picked up by rocks, led to the decision to roll over to less difficult terrain some 492 feet (150 m) away.
Curiosity’s initial route was planned using orbital image. While Nasa’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter can provide high-resolution images, it can’t reveal all the features and hazards hundreds of miles away on the surface below.
Therefore, rover planners and drivers use images from the navigation camera and other cameras on the robot to calculate routes to and through hazards, optimize Curiosity’s trajectory, and protect the rover. broken wheel.
This map shows the path taken by NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover from May to July 2023 to complete the mission’s toughest ascent. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/USGS-Flagstaff/University of Arizona)
The detour adds up to a few weeks of travel, but with no more surprises awaiting Curiosity, the rover climbs the slopes, and makes it to the intriguing crater-filled site nicknamed “Gao.”
“It’s an amazing feeling to finally get over the hills and see this amazing sight,” said Dane Schoelen, Curiosity’s head of strategic route planning at JPL.
“I can see images of Mars all day long, so I really get a feel for the landscape,” added Sholin. “I often feel like I’m standing beside Curiosity, seeing how far it has climbed.”
Curiosity now continues its climb up Mount Sharp to reach new, higher areas to investigate.
2023-08-16 21:17:40
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