Tire Business Illustration by David Manley / NASA images In 2026, a rover will be launched to Mars to collect samples left across the Martian landscape by Perseverance Rover, which landed on Mars in February. The samples will be dropped at a launch station, sent into space and picked up by an orbiter to return to Earth. Previous damage to the rigid rover wheels led NASA to adopt a Shape Memory Alloy Spring Tire built for the most extreme terrain and temperatures. CLEVELAND — While NASA's newest tire is the result of years of research and development, it was a chance meeting between old colleagues that moved it from a unique R&D project to a key piece of an upcoming mission to Mars.