this post was submitted on 07 Nov 2024
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No, the wheels are made of aluminum, not plastic
Oh, Cool!
They've lasted quite well.
But it's apparently one of the things the designers want to do better with future rovers.
The design was meant to be light-weight while providing good traction on the martian surface, but it has turned out more fragile than they'd hoped. All six wheels on Curiosity are quite damaged.
The wheels on Perseverance are still aluminium, but instead of the zig-zag tread, the large gaps of flat metal that have been getting punctured, were done away with. The wheels on Percy instead have a dense pattern of wavy tread.
Fascinating! Thank you for including a picture of the new design, using the ribs to reinforce the surface should improve things a lot with minimal material added.