[meteorite-list] Opportunity Rolls Onto Martian Ground

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:31:19 2004
Message-ID: <200402021656.IAA12789_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

>
> However, on the same official mission timeline it is somewhat inconsistent
> and interesting to note:
>
> "Eventual End of Mission:
>
> Toward the end of the surface phase for both missions, both power and teleco
> m
> capabilities will be decreasing, as the Earth and the Sun become more distan
> t
> from Mars, dust falls on the solar panels, the batteries lose capacity, and
> the Sun moves further North past the landing site latitude. Eventually,
> somewhere near Sol 91 it is expected that the rover will be unable to store
> up enough
> thermal or battery energy to prevent its componentsB4 overnight temperature
> s
> from falling below flight allowable levels. That will sooner or later result
> in
> failure of one or more of those components, silencing the rover forever."
>
> Though "sooner or later" is left undefined, the dust issue with all that fin
> e
> silt we are seeing is especially disheartening after reading this. Perhaps
> next time the lander can be fitted with a soft spring loaded mop instead of
> sitting there doing nothing. I'm sure there are reasons. I would highly do
> ubt
> that funding to keep the cars going after all this would be at issue.

The MER requirement is for 90 sols, so the solar arrays sufficed for this. There was
no need to add extra equipment to remove dust off the solar arrays to meet the
90 sol requirement. If the requirment was a couple of years,
and NASA was willing the fund the extra cost, then RTGs would be the better choice
over solar arrays. The Viking 1 lander lasted 6 years on the surface of Mars
using RTGs as its primary power source.

Ron Baalke
Received on Mon 02 Feb 2004 11:56:41 AM PST


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