It looks like the Perseverance rover has an unwanted passenger, a rock stuck inside one of its wheels. The electronic cameras develop 3D views of the environments that help the rover make its own decisions without consulting with the rover group on Earth on every move.
They can also get in there as the rover moves over loose surface and as the rovers weight breaks rocks into pieces. In a 2017 article at Mashable, Curiosity Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada stated, “We dont precisely understand how the rocks get in the wheels, but its most likely that they can hop in as the wheels (and heavy rover) break rocks and sink into the soil around loose rocks.”
At least one Mars rover ended due to issues with its wheels, however not because a rock got stuck.
The rock doesnt appear to be causing any damage or hindering the rovers operations. And its not the very first time a stone got stuck in a rovers wheel. MSL Curiosity also had a rocky hitchhiker in among its wheels.
This image from March 10th programs the rock still stuck in one of Perseverances six wheels. Will it fall out by itself? Is there any method to get it out? Does it matter? Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
When passing through slopes, NASA believes rovers can get rocks stuck in their wheels. They can likewise act as the rover moves over loose surface and as the rovers weight breaks rocks into pieces. In a 2017 short article at Mashable, Curiosity Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada said, “We dont precisely know how the rocks get in the wheels, but its likely that they can hop in as the wheels (and heavy rover) break rocks and sink into the soil around loose rocks.”
Theyve stated that rocks in rover wheels arent an issue in the past. The rocks are pretty soft and tend to fall out by themselves. The only potential problem is if the rocks somehow disrupt cables going to the motor on each wheel.
MSL Curiosity had a rock stuck in its wheel in June 2017. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA doesnt appear worried about it, though; otherwise, they wouldve changed the style to prevent it.
At least one Mars rover ended due to problems with its wheels, however not since a rock got stuck. In 2009, NASAs Spirit Rover got one of its wheels stuck in soft soil.
Perseverances objective was prepared to last a minimum of one Mars year or 687 Earth days. Its a little over halfway through its scheduled objective at 373 sols on March 8th.
Rover missions to Mars tend to last longer than planned. Spirit and Opportunity were expected to last about 90 sols, but Spirit lasted 2208 sols, and Opportunity lasted 5,352 sols. MSL Curiosity has been active on Mars for over nine years, and its main mission was set at only 687 days.
Perseverances planned objective length is at least one complete Martian year. Its already surpassed that, and its Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) could last 10 years or more. Hopefully, Perseverance will complete its mission and cache samples for later retrieval and even find preserved biosignatures.
Eventually, the objective will end. However it most likely wont be since of a rock in its wheel.
Initially released on Universe Today.
NASAs Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of the area in front of it using its onboard Front Left Hazard Avoidance Camera A. This image was acquired on February 25, 2022 (Sol 362) at the local mean solar time of 14:24:43. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
It looks like the Perseverance rover has an unwanted passenger, a rock stuck inside one of its wheels. The image of the stone was just recently picked as the “Image of the Week” for the Perseverance mission.
The rovers Front Left Hazard Avoidance Camera A captured the image. When the rover is driving, it makes routine stops to let the Hazard Cameras survey the instant surroundings. The Hazard Cameras help assess the dangers in front of and behind the rover, like big boulders, deep trenches, or dunes. The video cameras develop 3D views of the surroundings that assist the rover make its own decisions without talking to the rover team on Earth on every move.
The Mars Perseverance mission carries more cameras to Mars than any interplanetary objective in history. The Perseverance rover itself has 19 cams that will provide images of the landscape in breathtaking detail.
The rocks stayed there for rather a while currently, based on images from March 10th. Its tough to distinguish the image for sure, but it does not seem wedged in. Will it fall out throughout normal operations?
