Mars’ Marathon Wheels: Curiosity’s Six-Year Tale of Wear and Wind

NASA’s Curiosity rover, after six years on Mars, reveals in a new time-lapse how its wheels and the Martian surface have endured. Captured from 2020–2026, the footage shows wheel wear from rocky terrain and dust moved by wind and seasons, helping scientists distinguish wheel-imprinted material from wind-blown dust and study atmospheric changes. Despite punctures and tears, Curiosity remains mobile, having driven about 32 kilometers, and its observations have influenced the design of the Perseverance rover.