Comments on: Mars Rover Spirit is Rolling Again After Memory Problems

By: Olaf

Olaf — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:37:26 +0000

solrey, I don't think that there is a relationship with the dust devils that creates magnitic fields and the memory loss of the rovers. Simply because the electronics are in an Faraday's cage. Two possible sources are here the cause, hitting by gamma rays and just plain old aging of the internal components on the chip that had to operate in really tough conditions.

It is very logicall that on a very dry planet where water is no where is found in the atmosphere that static charge will have an effect on the dust and they will start to float because they repell each other when they get charged by solar wind on the Moon.

Also regarding the dust devils, the charged particles might push away other charged particles on the solar panels, but the wind is mechanical caused by pressure. The mechanical pressure that caused the dust devil creates the magnetic fields because of the flying charged particles but the magnetic fields does not create the dust devil at all!

The magnetic fields might influence the dust devil's form, but it is not the source of teh dust devil, the atmospheric presure is the source.

solrey, you should take a basic course on electronics.

By: Sili

Sili — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:37:02 +0000

I'd rather that they were put in a museum on Mars. It's their planet now.

By: HelloBozos

HelloBozos — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:19:36 +0000

We should mount a mission to retreve them,to build better ones…nothing like actual road tested robots to improve..8^)

By: solrey

solrey — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:51:51 +0000

If I remember correctly, they only expected the rovers to last a few months due to the expected accumulation of dust on the solar panels. We know that moon dust is sticky due to static charge, we know that volcanic ash is sticky due to static charge, I believe they expected the same sticky dust situation on the rovers. But they we're surprised, and understandably thrilled, to discover that the rovers receive regular 'cleanings'. It could be wind blowing the dust off, but assuming the dust is electrostatically charged, then the cleanings might be electrostatic in nature as well. Maybe instead of the mechanical cleanings of wind, it's the electric field generated by the winds of a dust devil that do the actual cleaning. NASA says that rovers on Mars haven't experienced any consequences as a result of those e-fields. Maybe they haven't connected the dots yet, it happens sometimes. If the dust on the rovers is negatively charged, and the base of a dust devil is positively charged…ever use one of those static dusters?

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2004/0420marsdust.html

"However, the team's observations indicate that smaller particles become negatively charged, while larger particles become positively charged. Dust devil winds carry the small, negatively charged particles high into the air, while the heavier, positively charged particles remain near the base of the dust devil. This separation of charges produces the large-scale electric field,
like the positive and negative terminals on a battery. Since the electrified particles are in motion, and a magnetic field is just the result of moving electric charges, the dust devil generates a magnetic field also."

I hope this post isn't too long or 'speculative' within the new guidelines.

By: SweeneyTodd

SweeneyTodd — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:04:09 +0000

"Bud Bray Says:

I think once people visit Mars, these rover should be brought back & placed in a museum. As the little rovers that COULD!"

i totaly agree !! they should be inspiration for all future generations ..

i'dd like to see viking missions in a museum too :p

By: Bud Bray

Bud Bray — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 14:25:15 +0000

I think once people visit Mars, these rover should be brought back & placed in a museum. As the little rovers that COULD!