Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire. The next-generation Mars rover may be a rough-and-tumble robot
that can roll down steep slopes, clamber over rocks, and can even be
lowered down cliff faces into deep craters. The prototype, called Axel,
takes its name from its simple design–a single axle with two wide,
toothed wheels. A video shows that the rover is undeterred by sandy soil, uneven terrain, and other impediments that it can expect to encounter on Mars.
Axel is considerably more |