NASA's Mars robot turns its head when it encounters a 'crocodile back' rock

The rough rock with knife-sharp rocks on the red planet could threaten the Curiosity robot's wheels, forcing the vehicle to find another path.

Crocodile scale-shaped rock that Curiosity robot encountered.

NASA's Curiosity robot is slowly climbing the lower levels of Mount Sharp, the peak at the center of Gale Crater on Mars. But sometimes the vehicle has to re-evaluate its route and find a better and safer path. On April 7, NASA announced that Curiosity encountered razor-sharp rocks in an area that resembles an alligator back scale at Greenheugh Pediment, a steep, rugged area consisting of many sandstones. The self-propelled robot was exploring the area and considering the way forward until engineers noticed the rocky beach. Curiosity was forced to turn around and change course.

"From the Curiosity photo, it's clear that the rock isn't right for the wheel," said Megan Lin, Curiosity project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "The robot will go very slowly and we won't be able to control the vehicle."

Curiosity is equipped with aluminum wheels. Since landing on Mars in 2012, its wheels have been damaged, but adjusting the route and the way the robot handles the journey helps prolong the life of the wheels. The engineering team in charge of the project hopes the wheel can work until the end of the task.

Mount Sharp is 3.4km high. It is a hot spot for Mars exploration due to its exposed sediments and long history. The Curiosity robot is investigating whether Mars once had microbial life. The robot's goal is not to climb to the top of Mount Sharp, but to inspect the low rocky edges of the mountain. According to NASA, the alligator-backed rock formation is not worth the robot to pass in terms of the difficulty of the path and the degree of abrasion to the wheels.

Curiosity will return to a transitional area with preserved rocks from the time when the lakes began to dry up, being gradually replaced by streams and dunes, said Abigail Fraeman, Curiosity project scientist at JPL. know.