(Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS )
Ever get a pebble stuck in your shoe? Curiosity knows the feeling. The rover used the camera at the end of its robotic arm to snap this picture yesterday of a Martian rock wedged between the grousers of its tire.
No need to fear, says Chris Roumeliotis, rover driver team lead for Curiosity at NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. They don鈥檛 expect the rock to affect Curiosity鈥檚 performance in any way, or cause any harm to the wheels, as the ground will usually give.
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The team could try trenching the wheel to shake the rock off, but they鈥檇 rather wait. 鈥淚t is better to let this fall off naturally,鈥� Roumeliotis says.
Update 5 May: A previous version of this story used a previous version of Chris Roumeliotis鈥� job title.
