The Nasa Mars Rover has become stuck in the sand. (see story here:
articulation
Rubber tires might work better to...
How would you design tank treads considering you couldn't use most plastics or rubber in the design? Organic substances could possibly confuse onboard sensors which are used to detect organic chemicals. Organic chemicals are a signature of life, and as such should not be introduced into the martian environment until the search for existing organics is complete.
Both traditional tracks and rubber tracks have serious problems in fine, abrasive soils. In traditional tracks, it gets into the rotating joint between each shoe and eats it up. In rubber tracks, the grit gets pressed between the inside of the track and the drive wheels where it erodes the traction surface.
Go to a caterpillar dealer look at one of brochures for a track type tractor (bulldozer). If one of the salesmen is free, ask him what the maintenance procedure is for a dozed working in a sandy environment. You'll be amazed both at how complex a track drive is and how much work it takes to keep them running.
In terrestrial applications, where maintenance is fairly easy, a track systems advantage the lower ground pressure (but large surface disruption) compared to tires makes it worth while in many applications. However, you can't service a planetary probe.
Catman
abefij wrote:
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