ROVER WHEELS: Monitoring changes over time, NOTE: Read back through the thread to avoid repeating misconceptions |
ROVER WHEELS: Monitoring changes over time, NOTE: Read back through the thread to avoid repeating misconceptions |
May 16 2013, 08:35 AM
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 22 Joined: 10-August 12 From: Australia Member No.: 6530 |
[MOD NOTE: This thread follows on a post by Ed Truthan containing a MAHLI mosaic of MSL wheels taken on sol 275.]
Ed: zooming in on that marvellous underbelly MAHLI montage, there appears to be further (and previously noted) deformation of the wheel surfaces. Damage is most evident in the view of the front-left wheel inner surface. Such wear has previously been discussed and concerns allayed. Nevertheless, the front left wheel surface *appears* to have been punctured. We've only done 700 meters, and have 7000 more to get to Mt Sharp..... Given that more odometry has now accumulated, is any (re-)new(ed) concern valid? DeanM |
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Dec 22 2013, 10:42 PM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1044 Joined: 17-February 09 Member No.: 4605 |
Almost sure to be some design changes. The space and weight trade-off considerations must cause some angst in mission design between the science and engineering design teams. The MER wheel and rocker bogey design was brilliant, with Opportunity still hobbling along having covered a distance of 65 times the mission success criteria, albeit primarily on soft sandstone. Curiosity's mass is 5 times that of a MER which required a modified design. But wheel design has to be based on a guestimate of what the ground environment will be like and while Curiosity is traversing sedimentary rock, she (is that gender correct?) has encountered a lot of sharp angular clasts which have done some cosmetic damage, although the structural integrity of the wheels is unaffected. Still, one thing we can be certain of is that the next rover will generate the same tired old blogging arguments on tracks versus wheels etc.
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