[Auto] 2022 Mars Rover: Improved Self-Driving Mode, Larger Wheels, $200,000,000 Price Bump

[HiTLeR]

 

The 2022 NASA Mars Rover was released (from its atmospheric descent cowl) yesterday. It’s a limited edition of one.

Designed by engineers at NASA’s high-performance Mars Science Laboratory division, the new rover comes in just one trim level, called “Perseverance.” It shares a chassis with the old, “Curiosity” model. Weight is up to 2,260 pounds – still less than most compact sedans.

 

“The Perseverance rover relies on the successful design of the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity,” NASA says. “However, Perseverance has a new science and technology toolbox. An important difference is that this rover can sample and cache minerals. To do so, Perseverance has a new coring drill to collect samples. The samples are then sealed in tubes and placed on the surface of Mars,” for future pick up and return to Earth.

 

Electric Drivetrain

Six electric motors, one per wheel, drive Perseverance. Power comes from a 99-pound radioisotope thermoelectric power generator using 11 pounds of plutonium-238 oxide, making refueling deadly and hopeless.

 

The suspension is a complex unit NASA calls a “rocker-bogie” design. It works to maintain a relatively constant weight on each of the six wheels as it moves over uneven terrain. Four-wheel steering is standard, as the front and rear wheels can each rotate 360 degrees.

 

Available only in 6-wheel drive, the rover boasts a top speed of 0.09 mph, good for a new world speed record (think about it).  It boasts a 0-to-60 time of nope.

Handling is a bit sluggish, as drivers must send commands from Earth and wait approximately 20 minutes for them to reach the rover on Mars before they can be carried out.

 

However, new self-driving software should allow the rover to make more independent decisions about how to cross obstacles in its path, reducing the need for direct inputs from an earthbound driver.

 

Lightweight aluminum wheels are standard and strengthened for off-road performance on a planet with no roads. “Engineers redesigned the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover’s wheels to be more robust due to the wear and tear the Curiosity rover wheels endured while driving over sharp, pointy rocks,” NASA explains. “Perseverance’s wheels are narrower than Curiosity’s, but bigger in diameter and made of thicker aluminum.”

 

At approximately $2,700,000,000, Perseverance remains one of the most expensive vehicles on the market. The new sticker is $200,000,000 over the last Mars rover model. Let’s not talk about the destination charges.