Comments on: Mars Rover Spirit Surviving on a Low Energy Diet

By: Ian O'Neill

Ian O'Neill — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:04:28 +0000

According to the source (http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/20081114a.html) – the panels output "Watt hours". I'll have to check my electrical theory to be sure, but I just assumed the NASA press release would be pretty accurate. You could be right though

Cheers, Ian

By: Paul Riley

Paul Riley — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:17:31 +0000

Surely the rover panels generate Watts, not Watt-Hours. Watt-Hours are what end up in the batteries. Trivial I know, but annoying to read.

Paul

By: Kevin M.

Kevin M. — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:40:04 +0000

Agreed – it's a terrible waste of potential to not have some little brushes on the panels, a little rotator on a track or central spindle, or the panels could retract or rotate under a stationary brush, or a tool on a robot arm, all good ideas. Also agree to RTG's, this solar stuff is some kind of silly idealistic throwback. It's a desert, all the planets are deserts, we are not harming anything. The most we can ever hope to find are microbes.

By: Darlington

Darlington — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:32:14 +0000

I'm with Astrofiend.. why don't we use RTGs
Budget issues aside must be political

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG, RITEG) is an electrical generator which obtains its power from radioactive decay. In such a device, the heat released by the decay of a suitable radioactive material is converted into electricity by the Seebeck effect using an array of thermocouples. RTGs can be considered as a type of battery and have been used as power sources in satellites, space probes and unmanned remote facilities. RTGs are usually the most desirable power source for unmanned or unmaintained situations needing a few hundred watts or less of power for durations too long for fuel cells, batteries and generators to provide economically, and in places where solar cells are not viable.

By: PaulS

PaulS — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:35:33 +0000

Go Spirit!

Never give up, never surrender!

By: Safir

Safir — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:39:25 +0000

Wonder if the rock abrasion tool can be used as a small fan to clear the dust off the solar panels. After the batteries recharge of couse. I'm sure the boffins checked this already & its a dumb idea!

By: S.E.Cycloid

S.E.Cycloid — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:48:20 +0000

I have a vague memory of frost causing the dust to stick together and clearing the solar arrays in the early stages of this mission. Anybody remember that?

@Astrofiend totally agree RTGs are the way to go for future missions.

By: Some Guy

Some Guy — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:41:55 +0000

that is true what silver thread said, but, one- there may not be enough power to fold and unfold the arrays, and two- you run the risk of letting the dust fall onto other parts of the rover and jam up the instruments…or the solar array hinges, either way it's a risky move, and i don't think we can depend on a dust devil coming to the rescue to clean it up, i think it would be best to take advantage of the borrowed time the rover is running on the best possible scientific use until the rovers demise which, at one time or another, will come.
long live MER

By: Silver Thread

Silver Thread — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:25:28 +0000

Hrm…didn't the rovers sort of unfold their solar arrays in the beginning? I mean obviously if it were possible to fold up the panels then unfold them again to unseat some of the dust this would have been done but I recall them being hinged, wouldn't folding them back up clean them off a little bit?

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:20:10 +0000

Long live our beloved rovers.

By: Astrofiend

Astrofiend — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:06:18 +0000

I swear they need little windscreen-wipers when they send a craft with solar panels up, or a little blower fan or something. I know they weren't expecting dust to be an issue over the predicted lifetime of the craft, but surely it would be a relatively simple addition.

In fact, solar panels can bugger off all together as far as space exploration is concerned – all craft should be running with RTGs.

By: Jiries

Jiries — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:34:08 +0000

I remember sometime ago a twister had cleared the dust off on one of the rover solar panels. Hope it happen again to clear the panels without more dust getting onto it.

By: Zibit

Zibit — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:33:36 +0000

What Neil said!!

By: neil

neil — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:04:48 +0000

I have no doubt spirit will hang in there until the next dust devil comes along and sweeps off its solar panels.