Curiosity Rover Endures "Worst Abuse" on Mars as NASA Shares Wheel Check Photo

NASA’s Curiosity Rover, which has been exploring Mars since 2012, continues its mission to uncover the planet’s secrets. Recently, NASA released images of the rover's right-middle wheel, showing how it’s holding up after years of travelling across Mars' rocky terrain. The images were taken by the rover’s “hand lens imager,” located at the end of its robotic arm.

Ashley Stroupe, a mission operations engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said, “The rover is still holding up well despite taking some of the worst abuse from Mars." The images were part of NASA’s “periodic check-in on our wheels to see how they are holding up on the rough terrain.”

Additionally, the rover is currently conducting research in the Gedis Vallis Ridge channel deposits. "We are planning contact science with APXS and MAHLI on 'Burst Rock,' which is a target that has an interesting texture and has bright-toned clasts and a grey coating. It is part of the Gediz Vallis Ridge channel deposits and will help our understanding of the channel,” Ms. Stroupe said.

A few weeks ago, Curiosity captured its first photo of Earth along with one of Mars' moons, Phobos. The team behind the rover shared on X, "POV: You're on Mars, looking up at the night sky and you notice... That's Phobos, one of Mars' two moons - and the tiny evening 'star' to its right is Earth!"

Since landing, the Curiosity Rover has covered over 20 miles and continues to work toward its primary mission objective: "to determine if Mars was ever able to support microbial life." Recently, the rover completed an examination of white stones in Sheep Creek and explored Cloud Canyon, Moonlight Lake, and Angora Mountain.

“These place names sound so lovely and soft, and are quite evocative of these pale stones, which stand out so much against the background,” said Alex Innanen, an atmospheric scientist at York University. The rover’s team is also investigating if the rocks contain sulphur, following the discovery of a sulfuric rock pile earlier this year.