Here's what 6 years of driving on Mars did to the wheels on NASA's Curiosity rover (video)

A new time-lapse video from NASA's Curiosity rover reveals years of punishing Martian travel, as its wheels churn steadily across the Red Planet's rugged terrain. The video, captured by Curiosity's right navigation camera, compresses more than six years of driving into about two minutes. Spanning from early 2020 to 2026, the footage looks back over the rover's deck as its aluminum wheels roll across Mars and endure varied terrain ranging from large rocky slabs to fine dust and debris, according to a statement from the space agency. "Curiosity's team is using this timelapse to watch for sand grains shifting on the rover's deck," officials said in the NASA statement . "Distinguishing between sand jostled by each drive and wind gusts can provide new information about seasonal changes in the atmosphere." A still image from a video released by NASA/JPL documenting six years of Curiosity rover's wheels while driving on Mars. (Image credit: NASA/JPL) The rover's camera wasn't intended to create a cinematic record. It typically points behind the rover during drives, helping mission teams identify interesting rocks and terrain features after Curiosity passes them. But by stitching together thousands of routine images, engineers created a continuous record of motion and environmental change, offering a rare, long-term perspective on what it takes to explore another world. …