NASA Creates Cutting-Edge Tires for Mars That Are Unlike Any Found on Earth


Future Mars rovers might soon traverse the Red Planet with state-of-the-art, high-tech tires.

NASA’s Glenn Research Center has released images and video demonstrating the testing of a groundbreaking tire known as the shape memory alloy spring tire. This innovative design can withstand significant deformation on rugged surfaces and then revert to its original form.

“We can actually deform this all the way down to the axle and have it return to shape, which we could never even contemplate in a conventional metal system,” said Santo Padula, a materials research engineer at NASA Glenn, in a video recently published by the agency.

The space agency recently evaluated these tires on Martian-like terrain at Airbus Defence and Space in the United Kingdom. Engineers noted that the tires performed admirably on the rocky and slippery artificial landscape, showcasing promising potential for upcoming missions.

The tire’s distinctive springy metal is composed of nickel-titanium, a material capable of enduring substantial stress. Previous NASA spring tire designs relied on steel, which was more susceptible to permanent deformation. In contrast, the current Mars rovers, *Perseverance* and *Curiosity*, are fitted with aluminum tires that have experienced notable deterioration, including punctures, as they navigate the challenging Martian landscape.

For instance, NASA has tracked damage to *Curiosity*’s right-middle wheel, illustrating the difficulties involved in creating durable tires for extraterrestrial exploration.

Future rovers, especially those intended for crewed missions to Mars or the moon, will gain immensely from damage-resistant tires. Fixing a flat or punctured tire on another celestial body would be an intimidating undertaking.

In addition to rovers, this self-repairing material could significantly contribute to building structures on other celestial bodies. The moon, for example, lacks a protective atmosphere, exposing its surface to high-speed micrometeorite impacts. “We need new materials for extreme environments that can provide energy absorption for micrometeorite strikes,” Padula remarked. Such innovations could facilitate the creation of habitats for astronauts and scientists working on the moon or Mars.

Looking forward, this springy metal may become a fundamental element of extraterrestrial technology, potentially featuring in Mars rovers, moon bases, and even lunar railroads, all engineered to endure the harsh conditions of other worlds.