After 14 years the mars rover opportunity is still roving about and taking measurements on the martian surface due to these mysterious recurring cleaning events which have wiped the rover s heavily encrusted solar panels completely clean enabling it to receive solar power and to continue doing its tasks.
Ho does the mars rover clean its solar panel.
Much remains to be discovered but it s an established fact that the atmosphere on mars gradually coats solar panels in dust and reduces efficiency just as happens here on earth.
Airflow cleaning of its mars rovers.
A self portrait of nasa s mars exploration rover opportunity taken in late march 2014 right shows that much of the dust on the rover s solar arrays has been removed since a similar portrait from.
Intergalactic as nasa investigates.
The idea of life on mars has mesmerized mankind for centuries.
The mars rover opportunity has been cleaned of heavy dust coating its solar panels thanks to some strong winds blowing over the rim of endeavour crater.
Cydonia cleaning a solar panel using compressed air at urc 2012.
Evidently nasa does not see this as a necessity for robotic missions up to and including insight.
This leverages the static charge of dust particles.
This has been identified as an enabling technology for crewed missions to mars.
These 2 options are being explored.
In its sixth martian winter nasa s mars exploration rover opportunity now has cleaner solar arrays than in any martian winter since its first on the red planet in 2005.
Mars exploration rovers spirit and opportunity exploring the planet mars facts information videos and pictures.
A self portrait of nasa s mars exploration rover opportunity taken in late march 2014 right shows that much of the dust on the rover s solar arrays has been removed since a similar portrait from january 2014 left.