ExoMars wheel-walking

The ExoMars mission will see Rosalind Franklin the rover land on the Red Planet in 2021.

Rosalind the rover has six wheels and a unique way of moving across the Red Planet. Each wheel pair is suspended on a pivoted bogie so each wheel can be steered and driven independently.

Once on the surface of the Red Planet, the rover will be able to move across many types of terrain – from fine-grained soil to large boulders and slopes.

Rovers on Mars have previously been caught in sand, and turning the wheels dug them deeper – just like a car stuck in mud or snow. To avoid this, Rosalind the rover has a unique locomotion mode called ‘wheel walking’.

Similar to leg movements, wheel-walking articulates motion around the axes and adjusts the rover height and angle with respect to the surface. This motion gives very good traction in soft soils and high slopes, such as dunes.