A team of tire-obsessed engineers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center has conjured up a wheel with a near-miraculous memory of its original form. This new type of spring tire is made from nickel-titanium, an alloy that can be squashed, crushed, and practically turned inside out—yet still pop back to its pristine, orb-like shape. And yes, NASA built new tires for Mars because driving on a planet peppered with rocky craters and jagged hills is a bit different than wheeling over a pothole in your neighborhood.
The fearless testers at NASA Glenn decided to give these peculiar metal coils a real challenge, ferrying them off to Airbus Defence and Space in the UK. The facility has Martian-esque simulated terrain—think: nothing but dusty red grit, menacing slopes, and craterlike divots. According to engineers, the results were resoundingly positive, with the shape-memory alloy soaking up rough surfaces and spitting them out unscathed. Traditional rover wheels, like the aluminum ones on Perseverance and Curiosity, haven’t fared so well—Mars has essentially gnawed and punctured them, leaving them battered.
Lead materials researcher Santo Padula believes these durable tires hold promise not just for uncrewed rovers but for future astronaut-led missions. After all, changing a flat on Mars likely ranks right below “developing gills to breathe vacuum” on the ease scale. The nickel-titanium material is also particularly appealing for other cosmic pursuits: on the Moon, where micrometeorites pelt the surface with unrelenting enthusiasm, it might be used to fortify habitats or structures. Imagine a future off-world bunker that could self-heal its walls from the wrath of space debris.
In the end, these metallic, shape-shifting springs might just be the most practical (and weirdly charming) tires NASA has ever devised. They highlight the sort of offbeat, slightly bizarre but thoroughly scientific approach that will define humanity’s leap to Mars. And it never hurts to have a tire that can bounce back from a squashing blow—especially when the nearest towing service is several million miles away.
FAQs
- Why did NASA build new tires for Mars?
They needed tires that resist damage from Mars’s rocky, hazardous landscape and avoid punctures that plague existing rover wheels. - What is shape memory alloy?
It’s a special metal—nickel-titanium, in this case—that can deform under pressure and still return to its original shape. - Who tested the new Mars tires?
NASA Glenn teamed with Airbus Defence and Space in the UK to run the wheels over simulated Martian terrain. - Why is this technology crucial for future missions?
Rovers—especially crewed ones—need ultra-resilient tires that won’t easily fail, eliminating the need for impossible off-world repairs. - What else could nickel-titanium be used for?
NASA is exploring its use in habitats or structures on the Moon or Mars, where micrometeorites and other space hazards demand resilient materials.
