That plus the vertical climb makes it unlikely that the wheels would hold out. In 2017, Curiosity was (and still is) way more than 10 km away from the peak of Mt. This information further supports answer. " Wheel lifetime estimates show that with careful path planning the wheels will be operational for an additional ten kilometers or more, allowing the rover to reach key strata exposed on the slopes of Mount Sharp." ![]() Some wheel damage experts also seem less than optimistic Without that occupation it could easily drive about 50 meters a day, meaning it could make it to the top within 4 years ! The most important limiting factor for the ability of Curiosity to reach the top is of course the time it has to spend in looking for interesting features and in doing scientific observations. The total length of the journey for Curiosity to the top was calculated to be more than 57 km. and the Elevation Profile Tool never measured slopes with a tilt higher than 20 degrees. The calculated length of the yellow line represents about 47 km. The image above was made with the help of Mars Trek and shows a possible route for Curiosity up to the top of Mount Sharp. The text on the map "Possible Traverse Area" doesn't mean that other area would be impossible to traverse ! Neither the text nor the map of Mount sharp from the Universe today article mentioned in the answer from indicates that the top is not traversable ! Yes, Curiosity does have a chance to drive to the top of Mount Sharp ! It has been linearized to remove the distorted appearance that results from its fisheye lens." From here, original description at NASA. This image was captured by the rover's front left Hazard-Avoidance camera at full resolution shortly after it landed. The Curiosity team hopes to drive the rover to the mountain to investigate its lower layers, which scientists think hold clues to past environmental change. Rising up in the distance is the highest peak Mount Sharp at a height of about 3.4 miles, taller than Mt. The rover's shadow can be seen in the foreground, and the dark bands beyond are dunes. If the drive took 10 years, would the RTG still have enough oomph to keep it moving up safely and communicating? Do comms with Earth rely on any satellite who's lifetime is limited? Could it even make it to the top in 10 years, or would it take much longer? Anything else?īelow: "This image taken by NASA's Curiosity shows what lies ahead for the rover - its main science target, Mount Sharp. I'm wondering, is there enough imaging data from satellite images from Mars orbit to say something about the terrain and grades (slopes) that Curiosity would encounter if it tried to drive to the top? If there are boulder fields or sloping sand, the trip might actually be very unlikely for example.Īlso, are there any problems operating Curiosity at higher altitude? Is it colder up there, or are there other weather issues that might affect it? Can it run in a complete vacuum or are there some localized heating issues that do take advantage of the low pressure atmosphere so far below "sea level" on Mars? Sharp (Aeolis Mons) - in the center of Gale crater. ![]() ![]() This great answer suggests the limiting high altitude to which the Curiosity rover on Mars could drive would be the top of Mt.
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