Will it or won't it. NASA scientists are currently pondering whether Mars rover Curiosity should go over a meter-high sand dune in an effort to reach locations of interest on Mars. To overcome the sand dune, Curiosity will have to execute a small "jump" over the sand dune, like a dune buggy, but NASA engineers worry that the metal wheels of the rover will not be able to survive the jump.
While traversing a small sand dune might seem like a trivial matter for a rover, NASA scientists are worried for a good reason. Back in 2009 the agency already lost the multi-million dollar Spirit rover in a sand trap. Moreover, the veteran rover Opportunity also had a close shave back in 2005 when it got stuck for an extended period of time in another sand dune.
Aside from the danger of getting stuck indefinitely in the sand dune, NASA engineers are also concerned about the condition of Curiosity's metal wheels, which have seen their fair share of wear and tear over the last couple of years.
"The decision hasn't been made yet, but it is prudent to go check," says NASA JPL Curiosity manager Jim Erickson. "We'll take a peek over the dune into the valley immediately to the west to see whether the terrain looks as good as the analysis of orbital images implies."
NASA engineers are confident that the Curiosity will be able to handle going up the incline. However, the presence of hidden rocks on the slope may pose potential problems for the one-ton rover. Before making a decision, the engineers working on the project will need to take baby steps to test whether the rover will be able to make the ascent.
"These tests are building confidence for operations we are likely to use when Curiosity is on the slopes of Mount Sharp," says JPL's Daniel Limonadi.
Scientists are also looking for other routes that the rover can take to get to a site labeled "KMS-9," which currently lies half a mile away from where the Curiosity is currently loacted. NASA scientists have been intrigued by the target site for a while now due to the fact that the terrain around KMS-9 is unlike anything the Curiosity has visited so far.
