Strange tires and gliders, new tools for exploring Mars!

With the booming development of aerospace technology and the rise of the concept of "space immigration", Mars has attracted much attention in recent years, and people are imagining transforming it into a second home planet. Under the grand goal of human landing on Mars, new aerospace technology and equipment are emerging in an endless stream, some of which are quite novel.

"Retro" tires have many advantages

Recently, NASA launched a new type of wheel for the Mars rover, which opened the eyes of space fans. In addition to the regular frame structure inside the wheel, the entire exterior is wrapped with a dense mesh of metal rings. Some people jokingly called it a "chain mail tire" to defend against Martian attacks.

Why did the US aerospace industry develop this "medieval retro style" wheel? In fact, the reason can be traced back to the US Curiosity Mars Rover. This "old employee" who has been working on Mars for 10 years has recently been unable to move. From the photos sent back, it can be seen that huge holes and cracks have appeared on its crawler-type plate-shaped tires, and the structural strength must have been seriously damaged.

This was certainly not an attack by Martians, but was caused by the harsh environment on the Martian surface. The sharp gravel and bumpy terrain were the "culprits". The huge temperature difference of nearly 100 degrees Celsius on the Martian surface is also estimated to have greatly shortened the life of Curiosity's aluminum wheels, so NASA took this innovative move.

The new Mars rover tires have abandoned aluminum materials and switched to nickel-titanium alloys. Although the cost is high, the performance has been upgraded to a higher level. It is said that the tires also have a "memory recovery" function. After being deformed by external forces, once the external forces disappear, the tires can automatically return to their original shape. In layman's terms, the tires are "tough and elastic."

The main structure of the new wheel was unexpected, almost completely copying the design concept of medieval chain mail, with nickel-titanium metal rings connected to each other to form a thick mesh.

Why is this design used? First, the surface adhesion of the "chainmail tire" is definitely much stronger than that of a plate tire, so it is not easy for the tire to slip. Second, the special structure ensures that when the tire contacts the surface of Mars, it forms an elastic collision, "using softness to overcome hardness" and better protects itself.

Some people question whether this "metal net bag" is strong and durable? In fact, the ancient Chinese military book "Wu Bei Zhi" vividly analyzes the structure of this type of chain mail: "One ring receives the cluster, and five rings guard it." In other words, one point bears the force, and multiple points share the pressure, so the reliability is still guaranteed.

Finally, the chain mail structure has another outstanding advantage, which is its significant stop-loss effect. Due to the multi-directional connection, the damage of a single metal ring will not continue to deteriorate the overall structural strength, thus avoiding the overall collapse of the plate material, such as "cracks turning into holes, and small holes turning into large holes". This shows that the wisdom of the ancients can sometimes really solve the problems faced by modern people.

Flying in the sky to explore Mars

As Mars exploration activities develop to this day, no matter how superior the performance of the Mars rover is, it seems that it cannot satisfy the human desire to explore the new home. After all, it is difficult for the Mars rover to break the 100-meter "mark" in terms of mileage per hour. Take the Curiosity Mars rover as an example. It has only traveled more than 20 kilometers in 10 years of operation and was ridiculed as the "life track of a turtle." What's more, the terrain of Mars is extremely complex. Mount Olympus is more than 20,000 meters above sea level and the Mariner Valley is 7,000 meters deep. These are all places that the Mars rover "cannot reach."

As the saying goes, "Heroes are made by the times", the Mars UAV came into being and will become the main equipment for future Mars exploration. In the past year, the US Ingenuity rotary wing UAV has completed dozens of test flights on Mars. Although each flight lasted only a few minutes at most and the height was only about 10 meters, it was a milestone in technological leap.

Recently, it was reported that the more practical American Mars glider drone has completed its test flight. In the future, the glider drone weighing only 5 kg will be equipped with various sensors and cameras, folded like a paper airplane, and stored in a basketball-sized mini satellite to travel to Mars. After being released, it will automatically extend its wings and fuselage, and then use the convection layer formed by the temperature difference on the surface of Mars to fly freely in the sky of Mars for a long time like a big bird, and its "eagle eye" will also begin to scan the mysterious earth.

According to US researchers and testers, the Mars glider drone is expected to stay in the air for 6 hours and travel more than 1,000 kilometers. What's more interesting is that this "big bird" may not be a disposable item. The design team will also send a "bird's nest" to Mars at the same time. It will be a huge air-locked balloon that can be used by the Mars glider drone to stay and dock, waiting for the best wind time and direction for the next flight mission.

Immigration Pioneer "Optimus Prime"

In fact, both the Mars rover and the Mars spacecraft are currently mainly responsible for image transmission and spectral analysis, which always gives people the illusion that "seeing is not believing". Is there any new equipment on Mars that can make people feel the same and can perform more tasks? In the fantasy, people seem to see hope, such as the artificial intelligence robot "Optimus Prime" that was exposed not long ago.

Perhaps in the near future, a team of humanoid visitors will suddenly appear on Mars - the Mars exploration version of "Optimus Prime". Their "skin" is solar panels, and their bodies are equipped with various exploration, scanning, testing, collection equipment and comprehensive analysis systems. They move in different directions, and can draw 3D maps of Mars wherever they look, analyze the elemental composition of the soil when they step on it, sense the existence of ice by inserting their arms into the ground, and find metal veins by chewing gravel in their mouths. They can even climb to the top of Mount Olympus and draw "Mars under their feet" for humans... In this way, they will not breathe, do not need to eat, year after year, until the last puzzle of Mars exploration is completed.

It is known that the initial stage of Earth's immigration history was generally full of hardships and death. So how can humans avoid the "death pioneer period" when migrating to Mars, which is farther away and has a harsher environment?

In fact, there is no need to worry too much, as technological progress can often reduce sacrifices. Perhaps decades before humans migrate to Mars on a large scale, millions of Mars pioneers, the "Optimus Primes", will have arrived there first, mining various resources, manufacturing daily necessities, establishing water supply and oxygen production systems, and even building underground cities with buildings, gardens, and hospitals. By then, Mars may have changed its once barbaric "temperament" and presented a charming scene of a prosperous human civilization.

When the first group of human immigrants step off the spacecraft and see the achievements of robots on Mars, I wonder if anyone will exclaim: "Oh my God! Are we the masters of Mars, or are we the guests?"

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