Labels: text | wheel | auto part | tire | screenshot | machine OCR: The Marsokhod ROBOTS MARTIAN ROVERS Strengthened by their experience with remote-controlled ROBOTS IN FILM lunar vehicles, Russian scientists have developed a Mars rover called the Marsokhod. This vehicle can not only roll across the Martian terrain, but "walk" as well: its six wheels can turn and lift independently. The wheels are shaped like conical cylinders to ensure maximum contact with the soil, regardless if it is sandy or rocky. Similarly, the jointed chassis adapts to the terrain, lengthening or shortening like a caterpillar creeping across the ground. The Marsokhod is also capable of anchoring its four back wheels while the two front wheels dig into the soil to help it overcome obstacles. This rover weighs 100 kilos and runs on a 24-watt power supply. When tested on the rocky soil of Kamchatka Peninsula in the Bering Sea, the Marsokhod sped along at 500 meters per hour. The Marsokhod is also equipped with a four-kilo boring device. Operating at five thrusts per minute, it can extract six square centimeters of soil at a depth of 12 millimeters. In loose sand or dust, the bore can reach a depth of two meters. The samples obtained can then be analyzed by the on-board gas phase chromatograph. Sensors on the front wheel-axle unit enable the Marsokhod to recognize obstacles. MARS BETAT
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