NASA Mars Curiosity Rover Drives Backward to Reduce Damage to Wheels

Earlier this month, the Curiosity rover was experiencing terrain difficulties on Mars. It was driving over a rocky surface and accruing damage to its wheels. NASA engineers then decided to have Curiosity jump over a sand dune to avoid such harmful terrain.

The engineers have now decided to put the rover in reverse and drive it backward to preserve the wheels on Curiosity. They previously considered cycling wheels in and out to give some of them a rest, but driving it backward would still keep the rover on its consistent path of distance.

This preservation strategy is in preparation for Curiosity's arrival at the base of Mount Sharp, the site it's projected to reach by June. Mount Sharp, also known as Aeolis Mons, is 5.5 kilometers high and its rocky terrain will pose a challenge to Curiosity, which makes the preservation process increasingly important.

"We have changed our focus to look at the big picture for getting to the slopes of Mount Sharp, assessing different potential routes and different entry points to the destination area," said Curiosity project manager Jim Erikson in this Space.com article. "No route will be perfect; we need to figure out the best of the imperfect ones."

Since arriving on Mars, the Curiosity Rover has traveled 3.24 miles and is a little over half the distance to reaching Mount Sharp, which was 6.2 miles from Curiosity's landing site. The rover is expected to travel approximately 12 miles during its two-year mission on the Red Planet, and if all goes well, its mission could be extended. The Opportunity rover is another that is exploring Mars, and was originally supposed to partake in a three-month mission. It is still exploring over ten years after its landing.

The conclusion of Curiosity's mission plans to find information regarding the history of Mars' changing environmental conditions that scientists believe could be revealed at Mount Sharp.

To read more about the Curiosity Rover and its current journey, visit this Space.com article.