The Mars Yard at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory contains the ‘Scarecrow’
Curiosity rover, used to test going over obstacles and up slopes. The suspension system of Curiosity has a
bogie (attached to 4 wheels) and rocker, with a cross bar (‘differential’) linking
the two sides. This combines to allow even distribution of mass between the 6
wheels. Watching the scarecrow pick its
way across the Mars Yard is encouraging for our objectives in Gale Crater. The science team were allowed to drive the
Scarecrow which gave us a great feel for how it moves on Mars.
A more detailed model in the workshop beside the Mars Yard is
used to test the Curiosity instruments like the drill which we will be using
during the mission. I find it useful in
the model to see how all the many smaller instruments and tools on Curiosity are
distributed relative to each other.
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