Curiosity rover tackles 23-degree slope as it explores Mars
By ForGeeks The Curiosity rover is slowly climbing Mount Sharp, a 5-kilometer-high mountain on Mars. Mountains are useful to study because their steep slopes reveal layers of material deposited over time, like a geologic time capsule. But just as climbing a mountain is challenging for humans, it can be challenging for Mars rovers. Curiosity recently traversed a particularly steep and slippery slope, making it the most difficult ascent to date.
So far, the rover has made it to the top of the mountain.
The difficulty of the rover traversing the terrain depends on a number of factors, including the steepness of the slope, the slipperiness of the sand, and the presence of obstacles such as boulders or sharp rocks. This climb, which the rover traversed in May and June, had all of the above factors, including a 23-degree gradient. «If you’ve ever tried running up a sand dune on a beach —which is what we did, —you know it’s difficult, and then there are boulders» —Amy Hale, Curiosity rover driver at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), said in a statement.
Amy Hale, Curiosity rover driver at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), said in a statement.
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The rover drivers plan the safest route to get the rover where it needs to go, and then relay those commands to the rover. This is necessary because of the communication delay between Earth and Mars, which can be as long as 20 minutes depending on the mutual position of the planets, making it impossible to control the rover in real time. It also allows for more careful planning of future actions so as not to harm the rover.
At the same time, the Mars rover’s commands can be sent to the Earth.
Sometimes, however, the rover has trouble following commands sent by drivers, such as slipping a wheel or rolling over a tall rock. In such unforeseen circumstances, the rover is programmed to stop to prevent damage, and drivers refer to these stops as malfunctions.
The rover is programmed to stop to prevent damage, and drivers refer to these stops as malfunctions.
