The Mars Pathfinder conducted scientific and technology experiments with a rover and a lander. One of the technology experiments carried by the rover was a tribological experiment, called the wheel abrasion experiment, designed to evaluate the abrasiveness of Martian surface material. The experiment was carried on one of the wheels of the rover, Sojourner. Wear was detected by a photodetector through the reduction of reflectance of three types of metal films (Al, Pt, and Ni) on a black anodized substrate attached to the wheel. The Pathfinder mission showed that significant wear occurred on the metal wheel strips, with the most wear on the thinnest aluminum samples, and the least on the thickest nickel and platinum samples. The depth of dig during a wheel abrasion experiment showed that the surface material is, in some places, very loose, and in other places tightly-packed. Laboratory tests using a spare/light wheel demonstrated that the surface simulants used for wear testing adhered to the wheel and that electrostatic charging of the wheel occurred.


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    Title :

    Mars Pathfinder wheel abrasion experiment - Ground and flight results


    Additional title:

    Rad-Abriebversuch der Pathfinder-Marssonde - Ergebnisse von Experimenten im Labor und auf dem Mars


    Contributors:
    Siebert, M.W. (author) / Keith, T.G. jun. (author) / Ferguson, D.C. (author) / Wilt, D.M. (author) / Kolecki, J.C. (author) / Hepp, A.F. (author)

    Published in:

    Lubrication Engineering ; 54 , 12 ; 20-26


    Publication date :

    1998


    Size :

    7 Seiten, 10 Bilder, 11 Quellen



    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English




    Mars Pathfinder Wheel Abrasion Experiment Ground Test

    T. G. Keith / M. W. Siebert | NTIS | 1998


    Mars Pathfinder Wheel Abrasion Experiment Ground Test

    Keith, Theo G., Jr. / Siebert, Mark W. | NTRS | 1998


    Abrasion on Mars - Pathfinder Results

    Ferguson, D. C. / Wilt, D. M. / Kolecki, J. C. et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 1999


    Abrasion on Mars - Pathfinder results

    Ferguson, D. / Wilt, D. / Kolecki, J. et al. | AIAA | 1999


    The Abrasion of Aluminum, Platinum, and Nickel by Martian Dust as Determined by the Mars Pathfinder Wheel Abrasion Experiment

    Ferguson, D. / Siebert, M. / Wilt, D. et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 1999