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A large hole has been spotted on the middle-right of the six wheels on Nasa's Mars Curiosity rover.

The coin-sized dent caused by a sharp rock has left a gaping hole in the tyre.

It is the newest of many bumps and bruises the 1-ton vehicle has experienced since it landed on the red planet in August 2012.

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A large hole has been spotted (shown) in the middle-right wheel of Nasa's Curiosity rover on Mars. The dent is the latest in several bumps and bruises the rover has experienced on the red planet, which has surprised engineers. It is not a problem for now but could become one if the hole grows in size

Mission controllers are confident that even with one or several wheels being damaged in this way, they will still be able to achieve Curiosity's goals.

The rover is currently making its way to the base of Mount Sharp, an interesting mountain that could reveal secrets about the history of Mars.

While this damage will not hinder the mission, it will be cause for concern as it shows how susceptible it really is to rocks.

'They are taking damage,' said Curiosity project manager Jim Erickson in California about the wheels, reports Space.com.

'That's the surprise we got back at the end of last year.

'We always expected we would get some holes in the wheels as we drove.

'It's just the magnitude of what we're seeing that was the surprise.'

Curiosity has recently driven out of the ellipse, approximately 4 miles wide and 12 miles long (7 kilometers by 20 kilometers), that was mapped as safe terrain for its 2012 landing inside Gale Crater. It was snapped by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter crossing the 'boundary' on 27 June (pictured)

Each of the six alumnium wheels is independently operated and is built to withstand the harshness of the Martian environment. This particular damage is found on the 'grousers' of the wheel (bottom wheel in this image), which is the zigzag-like pattern that helps them grip the terrain

The worst case scenario is that one of the wheels could be completely torn to shreds and become unusable.

This would mean it would have to be dragged across the surface of Mars by the other five wheels, and any flailing damage could also pose a risk to exposed wires.

The chances of this happening are low, but the engineers are still surprised at how much of a beating the rover has taken in just under two years.

One of the main culprits has been 'caprock', flat areas of hard Martian rock.

In attempts to avoid going over these areas engineers have been trying to spot softer and sandier areas from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter currently circling the planet.

Another solution to avoid such damage is to minimise turning, drive backwards of give the wheels greater control with more software.

Whether any of these methods will be more successful in future in avoiding damage remains to be seen.

 

NASA's aerial tour of Curiosity's path to Mount Sharp

One of the main dangers has been 'caprock', flat areas of hard Martian rock (shown). In attempts to avoid going over these areas engineers have been trying to spot softer and sandier areas from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter currently circling the planet

In other Curiosity news, the rover recently celebrated its first complete year on Mars, equating to 687 Earth days.

This was done having accomplished the mission's main goal of determining whether Mars once offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life.

One of Curiosity's first major findings after landing on the red planet in August 2012 was an ancient riverbed at its landing site.

Nearby, at an area known as Yellowknife Bay, the mission met its main goal of determining whether the Martian Gale Crater ever was habitable for simple life forms.

The answer, a historic 'yes,' came from two mudstone slabs that the rover sampled with its drill.

Analysis of these samples revealed the site was once a lakebed with water, the essential elemental ingredients for life, and a type of chemical energy source used by some microbes on Earth.

If Mars had living organisms, this would have been a good home for them.

The rover is now making its way to the foothills of Mount Sharp, its ultimate destination since landing on the red planet.

This map shows in red the route driven by Nasa's Curiosity rover from the 'Bradbury Landing' location where it touched down in August 2012 (blue star at upper right) to nearly the completion of its first Martian year (green star is current location). The white line shows the planned route ahead