NASA gives the Mars 2020 rover its legs and wheels

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While all six wheels have motors, the front and rear ones have steering motors that will allow Mars 2020 to make a full 360-degree turn in place. In addition, the suspension system can withstand tilts up to 45 degrees in any direction, so the rover to drive on pretty large rocks without tipping over. The team will only use the current wheels for testing, though, and they’ll be swapped out for flight-ready models sometime next year.

Over the next few weeks, the team will also install the rover’s robotic arm, its mast-mounted camera, as well as its other motors and components made to collect samples of Martian rock and soil. If all goes well with their tests, the Mars 2020 will start its journey to the red planet in July next year.

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