It is not a memory wipe. One of the main themes in NT is the nailing of the flesh to the cross and becoming one with God in spirit. This is the new heaven where the flesh, its desires and pains will be irrelevant, because God is a spirit. It is new because by the sacrifice of our Lord, he gave up the flesh as an example for us, and as a result removed the devil from heaven and his claims of truth.
The new earth is a system where the woman from Genesis (Eve) and Revelation 12 etc. will not travail in birth pangs to produce spiritual children for God. (read rescue us from flesh)
Our journey to unity with God is marred with pain and tears - so called birth pangs because of the corruption of the current system we find ourselves in and our desire for it. Once the harlot (flesh centered religions) that sells us into captivity to this system, and the devil that misleads us to revere and value ourselves and our flesh is removed, the woman(new Jerusalem) would not have pangs of distress to produce children of God. This is the new earth.
Jesus was free from this old earth because of his virgin birth and his pure origin, unfortunately we miss his example and have to suffer to let go of the flesh and draw close to God, and the current earth will reject us for this (pangs), because we evolved and are born of flesh. Thanks be to God for rescuing us from our corrupt origins and giving us an escape to spirit and eternal life!
A more intriguing question would be that if we realize this: could we already live in this new earth (paradise) NOW because of our Lords example?