After three decades of research, NASA recently presented its project for a new rover. Called DuAxel, the latter will have the mission of accessing difficult areas of the red planet. For example, the rover is able to split in two in order to rappel down a crater.
NASA uses rovers to explore planets and collect samples of their surface. If these machines are real concentrates of technology, their movement remains rather limited. Let us quote for example the rover Perseverance currently en route to Mars and carrying with it a small helicopter named Ingenuity. The latter's mission is to perform the very first flyby of Mars.
As explained in a statement from NASA's Jet Propulsion laboratory (JPL) published on October 13, 2020, the agency is developing a new rove prototype a:the DuAxel. At first glance, this contraption looks a lot like other four-wheeled rovers we know. On the other hand, the surprise is more on the side of its operation.
JPL has published images visible at the end of the article. These show that the DuAxel is very flexible and versatile. For example, the rear part of the rover can anchor itself in the ground while the front part detaches and begins a rappel into a crater. Logically, the two parts are connected by a solid cable. His tests in the Mojave Desert (California) were probably conclusive. The rover descended into a crater and was autonomous in all its movements . To reassemble, the machine simply rewound the cable.
It must be said that collecting samples from the walls craters on Mars will be something impossible for Perseverance. Gold on Earth, but also on other celestial bodies, the best places to study geology are found in rocky outcrops and on cliffs. Indeed, many layers of the past are perfectly exposed here
According to the project leaders, the DuAxel rover could be used beyond Mars exploration. This machine would open the door to the exploration of other extreme terrains on the Moon, Mercury or Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter. In 2017, NASA and ESA said they wanted to join forces to send a rover to Europa. Who knows, maybe it will be the DuAxel.
Here are images of the DuAxel rover in action:
