Martian dust storm threatens rovers' survival
July 27, 2007
This photo, taken by the rover Opportunity, shows the Martian sky darkening over the first 30 Martian days of the storm. The number at the top of each frame is the opacity measurement (higher numbers mean dustier skies), and the numbers at the bottom are the mission sol (Martian day) number and local time on Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell
In the three-and-a-half years that they've been on Mars, the NASA rovers Spirit and Opportunity have never seen anything like this: a large-scale dust storm that has darkened the skies and put the rovers in the gravest danger they have yet faced.
Severe winds started brewing across Mars almost a month ago, kicking up dust that prevents light from reaching the rovers' solar panels. While the dust in the atmosphere coats the planet with about the same thickness as a human hair, it has blocked 99 percent of direct sunlight to Opportunity. The rover now relies mostly on light scattered from the dust in the atmosphere to power it, and it's getting less than 25 percent of the power from its solar panels than before the storm.
Spirit, which is on the other side of the planet, has fared slightly better. For the past week, though, both rovers have had to stop driving and limit their science observations to conserve power. If the skies continue to darken over an extended period, they may not be able to generate enough power to stay warm and operate at all.
"It's fair to say this is the most dangerous situation we've faced with either rover since the beginning of the mission," said Jim Bell, Cornell associate professor of astronomy and Pancam lead scientist. "No one really knows how long the vehicles can survive with such little power," he said.
There is no storm activity directly over the rover sites right now, but Martian weather is variable and unpredictable, and Mars could remain shrouded in dust for a long time.
"Dust activity is now taking place over much of the planet, and chances are good that it will do so for weeks to come ... maybe even as long as a few months," said Steve Squyres, Cornell's Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy and principal investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover mission. "So there's a chance that we are looking at a significant period of low activity for both vehicles. The good news is that both rovers are very clean and in good health, and poised to do good science when there's enough power to do so."
The storm hit at an extremely inopportune time -- right when both rovers were positioned to study some of the most intriguing targets they have seen to date. Opportunity has been perched at the rim of Victoria Crater, waiting to descend its steep slopes and study the rocks exposed in the crater walls. To get to Victoria, the rover spent years driving the five miles from its landing site. Spirit has been in the vicinity of the Home Plate feature, planning to study its layered outcrops, which may reveal evidence of past volcanic activity.
When the storm clears, engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will assess how much of the planned science each rover can perform.
In the meantime, Sprit and Opportunity have to, well, wait for the dust to settle.
Source: Cornell University
-
'Greeley Haven' is winter workplace for Mars rover
Jan 06, 2012 |
5 / 5 (2) |
1
-
NASA robot seeks goldmine of science and sun at Martian hill along vast crater
Nov 04, 2011 |
5 / 5 (6) |
4
-
Juno's Jupiter mission a quest to find 'recipe for planet-making'
Jul 28, 2011 |
4.5 / 5 (4) |
10
-
NASA says Mars mountain will read like 'a great novel'
Jul 22, 2011 |
4.8 / 5 (5) |
0
-
NASA officials remember Mars rover Spirit
Jul 20, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (33) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (5) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
-
Never ending outer space.....
Feb 11, 2012
-
Neutron Star fragments?
Feb 11, 2012
-
stationary or not?
Feb 11, 2012
-
Scale of the Universe
Feb 10, 2012
-
Titan's lack of impact craters
Feb 09, 2012
-
Real pictures of black hole eating a star?
Feb 08, 2012
- More from Physics Forums - General Astronomy
More news stories
With climate change, today's '100-year floods' may happen every three to 20 years: research
Last August, Hurricane Irene spun through the Caribbean and parts of the eastern United States, leaving widespread wreckage in its wake. The Category 3 storm whipped up water levels, generating storm surges ...
4 minutes ago |
not rated yet |
0
|
New European rocket lifts off on maiden flight
A new lightweight rocket, Vega, lifted off from Europe's space base Monday carrying nine satellites on its inaugural flight, mission control said.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
1 hour ago |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
Climate change causes harmful algal blooms in North Atlantic: study
Warming oceans and increases in windiness could be causing of an abundance of harmful algal blooms in the North Atlantic Ocean and North Sea, according to new research.
2 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Salvage workers begin pumping fuel from Italian shipwreck
Salvage workers Sunday began pumping fuel from the shipwrecked Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia, a day ahead of schedule, officials said.
17 hours ago |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
NASA budget will axe Mars deal with Europe: scientists
US President Barack Obama's budget proposal to be submitted next week for 2013 will cut NASA's budget by 20 percent and eliminate a major partnership with Europe on Mars exploration, scientists said Thursday.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Feb 10, 2012 |
5 / 5 (4) |
59
New molecule has potential to help treat genetic diseases and HIV
(PhysOrg.com) -- Chemists at The University of Texas at Austin have created a molecule that's so good at tangling itself inside the double helix of a DNA sequence that it can stay there for up to 16 days before ...
Social psychologist: Lust makes you smarter and evidence that seven deadly sins are good for you
(Medical Xpress) -- Good news for lovers on Valentine’s Day - the seven deadly sins, including Lust, are good for you. University of Melbourne social psychologist Dr Simon Laham uses modern research to make a compelling ...
The joy of cheques
An electronic cheque which eliminates the need for costly processing by banks but preserves the simplicity and ease of a traditional cheque book has been designed by a team of academics in the UK.
Research shows promise in converting camelina oil into jet fuel
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Montana State University-Northern have developed a process to convert camelina oil to jet fuel and other high-value chemicals. MSU has applied for a U.S. patent and research is ongoing.
Couples in the same place emotionally stay together, study says
(Medical Xpress) -- Despite lifes ups and downs, couples whose feelings are in sync consistently over time are more likely to stay together, says a University of California, Davis, study.
Researchers make breakthrough in stem cell research
(Medical Xpress) -- University of Queensland scientists have developed a world-first method for producing adult stem cells that will substantially impact patients who have a range of serious diseases.