It does have sharp objects, but ordinary truck balloon tires would handle those relatively well. But at night, the temperatures drop to -100 °C, and your rubbe

It does have sharp objects, but ordinary truck balloon tires would handle those relatively well. But at night, the temperatures drop to -100 °C, and your rubber tires freeze and shatter. Also, rubber's much heavier, and they just couldn't bring that weight. They really couldn't drop that weight from the sky crane, not without increasing the shock absorbers in the legs... which would have meant more weight, and the plan's just impossible. It also has horrifically abrasive dust, much worse than anyplace on earth. The abrasion from that would wreck a balloon tire seal---hard to predict how quickly. A balloon tire also goes from "fine" to "useless" with one puncture. Apparently they got surprised by the sharp rocks: http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2014/08190630-curiosity-wheel-damage.html http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2014/0819063... , not having seen anything like that from previous missions.