The controllers of his mission Curiosity rover at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena California, have begun to worry about their rover, as the rough surface of the red planet has caused cracks in its wheels.
The robot is heading towards its main destination, Mount Sharp which is 5 kilometers high. Unfortunately, the road is full of irregular stones, which cause great damage to the rover's alloy wheels.
The damage is exacerbated by the fact that Curiosity weighs almost 1 tone, and is the size of a Mini Cooper. After analyzing the new photos that pulled the rover off its wheels, experts believe that a new navigation solution should be developed to ensure that the mission is completed successfully, as the Universe Today.
The first holes in the Curiosity Alloy Wheels have been seen since the autumn of 2013. Since then, JPL scientists checking for any new signs have come to the conclusion that the damage increases every month.
The damage to the left front wheel is of particular concern to scientists, as a 5 to 8 cm long crack has been created. However, the researchers they have already thought of a solution to avoid further damage. The first idea is to find a smoother route for the rover's path to Mount Sharp, through sand dunes that don't contain sharp rocks.
