Spirit cleaner? |
Spirit cleaner? |
Jun 18 2007, 06:44 AM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1887 Joined: 20-November 04 From: Iowa Member No.: 110 |
I've been keeping an eye on the sundial images looking for signs of a cleaning event. I've noticed some changes in the latest to be downloaded although they may be due to changes in the lighting.
A : clean patch at top of circle streak at bottom B : increased contrast from dust left behind next to mirror C : clean patch next to wire Also note the missing clumps of dust on the deck A broader view show a contrast between sol 1221 and 1227 http://207.7.139.5/mars/spirit/navcam/2007...I4P0165L0M1.JPG http://207.7.139.5/mars/spirit/navcam/2007...00P1914L0M1.JPG Has anyone heard if there has been a change in the power levels? |
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Jun 19 2007, 04:11 AM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3419 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Minneapolis, MN, USA Member No.: 15 |
When you look at the rocks in specific and the surface in general, it sort of makes sense that an object like a MER would get wind-cleaned several times over the course of a Martian year.
If there was nothing happening on this surface except steady dust accumulation, the local surface would be buried in millions of years' worth of dustfall. The winds have to be capable of moving the dust along, or else the rocks would have dust caps and be buried in airfall dust. The fact that the rocks are not generally dust-covered (and are in fact aeolian-sculpted) and the soil is not completely covered with airfall dust argues for enough wind to blow the dust off the rocks at a greater rate than the dust falls out of the air. Of course, no one could have known if the periodicity of deposition/deflation events would be timed well enough to keep a solar powered rover working over a long haul. And extreme dustfall events, like global dust storms, would still probably doom a MER. But, on average, what we observe on the scene suggests an environment where solar panels will be cleaned just slightly more than they will be dirtied. If you want more proof of this general charateristic of Mars, look at the HiRISE images of the Vikings. They retain some of their blue-white coloration to this day, which means they have been cleaned more than they have been dirtied. It's only a gross confirmation, but it suggests that objects on Mars won't become (or remain) completely dust-covered on the scale of decades to centuries. -the other Doug -------------------- “The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.” -Mark Twain
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