Mars has long fascinated mankind as it both a potential candidate for future colonisation and may once have been home to ancient alien life. In order to learn more about the Red Planet, US space agency NASA is designing its next generation Mars rover, due for launch in July 2020. And NASA has now released rare behind-the-scenes photos of it engineers at work putting their finishing touches to their 2020 Mars rover.
NASA has now installed the starboard legs and wheels and a new port suspension system for the 2020 Mars rover.
NASA had studied wheel damage to the Mars Curiosity rover for years.
And it had become apparent that dents became holes and then cracks in the raised treads.
In January this year, NASA posted photos of the wheel damage before Curiosity’s heartbreaking demise in February.
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For the Mars 2020 model, both legs are made of titanium tubing similar to those used on bicycles.
The current six wheels installed on the Mars 2020 rover are for testing purposes only and will be replaced next year.
Each wheel has its own motor, and the front two and rear two wheels additionally have steering motors.
This way the rover can rotate 360 degrees while remaining in one place.
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The “rocker-bogie” suspension system then allows the rover to drive over rocks and obstacles, and handle 45-degree tilts while retaining its balance.
David Gruel, the Mars 2020 assembly, NASA’s test and launch operations manager, said: “With the suspension on, not only does it look like a rover, but we have almost all our big-ticket items for integration in our rearview mirror — if our rover had one.”
“Now that’s a Mars rover.”
NASA is next expecting to install the rover’s robotic arm, mast-mounted SuperCam and Sample Caching instrument.
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The cashing instrument has 17 separate motors which will work on collecting rock and soil samples.
NASA’s Mars 2020 Rover will be launched in July 2020 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, and is set to land on Mars in February 2021.
If you want to send your name to Mars with NASA’s 2020 mission, you can do so until Sept. 30, 2019.
Add your name to the list and obtain a souvenir boarding pass to Mars HERE