Images reveal wear and tear suffered by Curiosity in two years
comments
On 6 August Nasa celebrated Curiosity's second anniversary - in Earth time - on Mars.
But a series of images has revealed the beating the rover has taken since it landed two years ago, with the Martian environment proving more than a match for the machine.
While the mission continues to return incredible science from the red planet, the rate at which the rover is decaying will no doubt be a cause for concern.
Scroll down for video
Before and after images of Nasa's Mars rover have revealed the damage it is taking. But experts from the Washington DC agency say it's not a problem - yet. In the images holes on Curiosity's wheels can clearly be seen (pictured). The aluminium wheels have been pierced by driving over sharp rocks
The Martian environment is incredibly hostile, even to a sturdy machine like Curiosity.
During the day, temperatures fluctuate between highs of 20°C (70°F) and lows of -73°C (100°F), while dust storms rage across the surface and cover the rover in fine particles.
In addition sharp rocks on the surface are piercing the rover's wheels, gauging it with holes and causing ground controllers to come up with innovative solutions, such as driving backwards to reduce degradation.
On the wheels of the £1.5 billion ($2.5 billion) rover, there are some holes intentionally put there to allow sand to drain through and provide added traction.
Others, however, are certainly not planned additions; tears in the wheels can clearly be seen where rocks have pierced the thin aluminum.
In these before (move the slider left) and after (move the slider right) images the degradation on Curiosity can clearly be seen. The before images were taken around the time the rover landed two years ago on day three of the mission, while the after images show it as it looked on day 689. The rover is now on day 729
Occasionally the team will attempt to find a new route to take if the path ahead looks particularly hazardous.
That's not always possible, though - for about half of July, the rover team at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, drove Curiosity across an area of hazardous sharp rocks on Mars called Zabriskie Plateau.
Damage to Curiosity's aluminum wheels from driving across similar terrain last year prompted a change in route, with the plan of skirting such rock-studded terrain wherever feasible.
But the one-eighth mile (200m) across Zabriskie Plateau was one of the longest stretches without a suitable detour on the redesigned route toward the long-term science destination, meaning the wheels had to grin and bear the ensuing damage.
Some parts of the rover are caked in Martian dirt, but experts from the agency say this is not a cause for concern yet. The amount of dust accumulation on part of the rover is seen in these contrasting photos from day 36 of the mission and day 660
Here dust accumulating on some of Curiosity's exposed wiring can be seen on day 32 and day 674
Other parts of the rover, meanwhile, are caked in Martian dust.
For Curiosity's predecessors Spirit and Opportunity, dust was a big problem as they were solar powered.
An accumulation of dust meant they were getting less power from the sun from their solar panels.
Curiosity has an advantage here as it is powered by an on-board nuclear power source, a small radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), which contains 10.5 pounds (4.8 kg) of plutonium-238.
'The accumulation of dust is not a concern,' a spokesperson for Nasa tells MailOnline.
'Dust buildup matters more on Opportunity, which is solar powered.'
Nonetheless, over time the accumulation of dust could pose a problem, particularly as much of Curiosity's wiring is exposed.
On board the rover is a coin used for calibration purposes, seen here. The before shot in this image was taken on day 34 of the mission, and the after shot came on day 591
Unlike Curiosity's sister rovers Opportunity and the now-defunct Spirit, the accumulation of dust is not a huge cause for concern yet as the rover is nuclear powered. These images show day 30 and 718 of the mission
During its first year of operations, the Curiosity rover fulfilled its major science goal of determining whether Mars ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life.
Clay-bearing sedimentary rocks on the crater floor in an area called Yellowknife Bay yielded evidence of a lakebed environment billions of years ago that offered fresh water, all of the key elemental ingredients for life, and a chemical source of energy for microbes, if any existed there.
'Before landing, we expected that we would need to drive much farther before answering that habitability question,' said Curiosity Project Scientist John Grotzinger of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena.
'We were able to take advantage of landing very close to an ancient streambed and lake. Now we want to learn more about how environmental conditions on Mars evolved, and we know where to go to do that.'
During its second year, Curiosity has been driving toward long-term science destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp.
Those destinations are in an area beginning about two miles (three kilometers) southwest of the rover's current location, but an 'appetiser' outcrop named of a base layer of the mountain named Pahrump Hills lies much closer - less than one-third of a mile (500m) from Curiosity.
Curiosity landed on Mars on 6 August 2012, and recently Nasa celebrated its second anniversary on the red planet in Earth time. It completed its first Martian year - one revolution around the sun on Mars, which takes 1.88 Earth years - in July of this year. A large hole is seen here
Put the internet to work for you.
0 comments:
Post a Comment