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Spirit cleaner?
alan
post Jun 18 2007, 06:44 AM
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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.

Attached Image

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
Attached Image


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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helvick
post Jun 28 2007, 11:34 AM
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738 Whr means she is still losing about 25% due to dust. Last summer at peak when she was generating 956 Whr the dust loss factor was around 5%. So she's getting cleaner but I don't think that surviving the winter is guaranteed yet. She bottomed out at 280Whr in mid winter at Low Ridge so right now we'd be looking at around 220Whr for the minimum next winter assuming nothing else changes (and dust deposition follows last years pattern).
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Posts in this topic
- alan   Spirit cleaner?   Jun 18 2007, 06:44 AM
- - akuo   The lighting would appear to be almost exactly the...   Jun 18 2007, 09:06 AM
- - jmjawors   Just saw the latest images and rushed here to find...   Jun 18 2007, 11:42 AM
- - centsworth_II   The definitive answer would come in the form of a ...   Jun 18 2007, 03:33 PM
- - fredk   Yes! We're above 600 Whr!! htt...   Jun 19 2007, 03:50 AM
|- - mhoward   QUOTE (fredk @ Jun 19 2007, 03:50 AM) Yes...   Jun 19 2007, 04:12 AM
- - dvandorn   When you look at the rocks in specific and the sur...   Jun 19 2007, 04:11 AM
- - dvandorn   Oh, yes, and I forgot to add: Above 600 Whr!...   Jun 19 2007, 04:13 AM
- - slinted   This is great news! That great a percentage in...   Jun 19 2007, 04:33 AM
- - CosmicRocker   Alan: You're the man with the first good news...   Jun 19 2007, 04:33 AM
|- - centsworth_II   QUOTE (CosmicRocker @ Jun 19 2007, 12:33 ...   Jun 20 2007, 02:43 PM
- - Jeff7   Most excellent news.   Jun 19 2007, 05:03 AM
- - ElkGroveDan   OK where's Helvick? We want to see that chart...   Jun 19 2007, 06:04 AM
- - djellison   Looks like a self portrait was put in work yesterd...   Jun 19 2007, 08:08 AM
- - akuo   The solar cells looks patchy, like the wind cleane...   Jun 19 2007, 08:22 AM
- - helvick   We're well past the edge of my charts now and ...   Jun 19 2007, 08:41 AM
- - elakdawalla   I was actually wondering about that. How finely c...   Jun 20 2007, 03:04 PM
- - alan   This is the best I could get out of Autostitch   Jun 20 2007, 07:16 PM
- - dvandorn   Yeah -- you can see she's cleaner than she was...   Jun 20 2007, 08:00 PM
- - ElkGroveDan   As I recall these events aren't isolated ones....   Jun 20 2007, 10:54 PM
- - Tom Tamlyn   I hope your prediction is correct, but wasn't ...   Jun 20 2007, 11:45 PM
|- - climber   QUOTE (Tom Tamlyn @ Jun 21 2007, 01:45 AM...   Jun 20 2007, 11:52 PM
- - edstrick   "I doubt they get engineering data at a high ...   Jun 21 2007, 07:22 AM
- - helvick   I've asked about the engineering data before (...   Jun 21 2007, 09:11 AM
|- - Analyst   QUOTE (helvick @ Jun 21 2007, 09:11 AM) A...   Jun 22 2007, 04:00 PM
- - CosmicRocker   That doesn't make sense to me. I would have t...   Jun 22 2007, 05:45 AM
- - RobertEB   I was looking at the picture above and I noticed t...   Jun 22 2007, 02:00 PM
- - Tom Tamlyn   Pete Theisinger was asked about closing the solar ...   Jun 22 2007, 02:14 PM
|- - centsworth_II   QUOTE (Tom Tamlyn @ Jun 22 2007, 10:14 AM...   Jun 22 2007, 02:38 PM
- - RobertEB   I don't know if they lock in place or not. I w...   Jun 22 2007, 03:00 PM
|- - fredk   QUOTE (RobertEB @ Jun 22 2007, 03:00 PM) ...   Jun 22 2007, 05:15 PM
- - dilo   Well, seriously, I think that now that power is up...   Jun 23 2007, 01:34 PM
- - djellison   While they have one mobile rover, it's unlikel...   Jun 23 2007, 04:16 PM
- - alan   Must be getting windy, a few more clean patches ar...   Jun 24 2007, 05:42 AM
- - jaredGalen   All this cleaning might be timely but hopefully no...   Jun 27 2007, 07:00 PM
- - dvandorn   Well, isn't it almost a truism that semi-globa...   Jun 27 2007, 07:19 PM
|- - BrianL   QUOTE (dvandorn @ Jun 27 2007, 01:19 PM) ...   Jun 27 2007, 07:34 PM
|- - David   QUOTE (dvandorn @ Jun 27 2007, 07:19 PM) ...   Jun 27 2007, 09:09 PM
- - helvick   Assume for a moment that the dust on the panels ha...   Jun 27 2007, 09:57 PM
- - fredk   Those numbers are interesting. When the tau incre...   Jun 27 2007, 10:15 PM
- - djellison   No - thats what happens, the direct drops, the ind...   Jun 27 2007, 10:26 PM
- - helvick   As Doug says that is what happens - as the dust le...   Jun 27 2007, 10:40 PM
- - Tom Tamlyn   Fascinating to read in the Applebaum & Landis ...   Jun 28 2007, 03:33 AM
- - dvandorn   Or, more specifically, what was the greatest tau v...   Jun 28 2007, 04:07 AM
- - fredk   Spirit's Solar Power Levels Continue to Rise A...   Jun 28 2007, 04:09 AM
|- - Analyst   QUOTE (fredk @ Jun 28 2007, 04:09 AM) Spi...   Jun 28 2007, 09:53 AM
- - Jeff7   Most excellent indeed. The new Mars forum questi...   Jun 28 2007, 04:53 AM
- - edstrick   Tau values were made by Viking Landers based on pr...   Jun 28 2007, 05:57 AM
- - helvick   I don't have precise data but again there are ...   Jun 28 2007, 06:36 AM
- - helvick   738 Whr means she is still losing about 25% due to...   Jun 28 2007, 11:34 AM
|- - dvandorn   QUOTE (helvick @ Jun 28 2007, 06:34 AM) 7...   Jun 28 2007, 04:01 PM
- - helvick   QUOTE Tau measurements estimating the amount of du...   Jun 28 2007, 11:45 AM
- - centsworth_II   If Spirit makes it to next winter, I think they...   Jun 28 2007, 06:15 PM
- - djellison   They didnt want to do a rush job last time - remem...   Jun 28 2007, 06:24 PM
|- - centsworth_II   QUOTE (djellison @ Jun 28 2007, 02:24 PM)...   Jun 29 2007, 05:53 AM
- - djellison   Well - with a stuck wheel they can't really cl...   Jun 29 2007, 08:37 AM
|- - BrianL   Even if the slope is rock with no significant sand...   Jun 29 2007, 12:55 PM
- - djellison   I'd say so, yeah. You drop not only 18% of you...   Jun 29 2007, 01:05 PM
- - fredk   But fortunately getting to a steeper slope may not...   Jun 29 2007, 02:54 PM
|- - centsworth_II   QUOTE (fredk @ Jun 29 2007, 10:54 AM) But...   Jun 29 2007, 03:07 PM
- - centsworth_II   Strategy for getting Spirit on 25 degree slope: Cl...   Jun 29 2007, 03:04 PM
- - helvick   The best they could do for the day that insolation...   Jun 29 2007, 03:14 PM
|- - centsworth_II   QUOTE (helvick @ Jun 29 2007, 11:14 AM) ....   Jun 29 2007, 03:58 PM
- - brellis   The subject of tilt begs the question, why don...   Jun 29 2007, 05:28 PM
- - djellison   The dust probably wouldn't come off if you til...   Jun 29 2007, 05:39 PM
- - Tom Tamlyn   Further to the same point, the deployment motors w...   Jun 29 2007, 06:15 PM
|- - brellis   QUOTE (Tom Tamlyn @ Jun 29 2007, 11:15 AM...   Jun 29 2007, 09:11 PM
- - alan   Cleaned Again: Spirit Self Portrait http://marswa...   Jun 30 2007, 05:14 AM
- - Nix   woaw.. she looks good! Nico   Jun 30 2007, 06:28 AM
- - Shaka   But she could look better! Come on you devils...   Jun 30 2007, 07:19 AM
- - kenny   I never appreciated how variable the dust covering...   Jun 30 2007, 08:34 AM
- - Oersted   Looks like the cleaning has been more efficient in...   Jun 30 2007, 09:35 AM
- - CosmicRocker   Being from sol 1229, I think that self portrait wa...   Jun 30 2007, 05:37 PM
- - fredk   From the latest Planetary Society report, this des...   Jul 1 2007, 10:43 PM
|- - climber   QUOTE (fredk @ Jul 2 2007, 12:43 AM) From...   Jul 8 2007, 09:42 AM
- - Shaka   Yes, only a devil would tidy up so haphazardly.   Jul 2 2007, 12:59 AM
- - TheChemist   Looks like some guys will finally get actual data ...   Jul 2 2007, 10:53 AM
- - alan   Dust from the storm in Meridini appears to have be...   Jul 4 2007, 07:16 PM
- - hortonheardawho   sol 1204 - 1244 L2 comparison of Husband Hill:   Jul 4 2007, 09:29 PM
- - Floyd   Horton, that is dramatic. A layer of dust almost ...   Jul 4 2007, 09:34 PM
- - djellison   Bloody hell! The way the whole area beyond t...   Jul 4 2007, 09:36 PM
- - alan   Ah, that explains why the color images of the left...   Jul 4 2007, 09:58 PM
- - hortonheardawho   Ah, indeed: The right frame is 98 seconds after...   Jul 4 2007, 10:50 PM
- - fredk   I'd say left to right. The gust could easily ...   Jul 5 2007, 04:03 AM
- - Pertinax   Well noted indeed, and what a catch. I was just g...   Jul 5 2007, 12:32 PM
- - PDP8E   Hi All, Is there a website of returned engineerin...   Jul 6 2007, 07:36 PM
- - djellison   Yes - cleaning is usually thought to be due to hig...   Jul 8 2007, 09:51 AM
|- - climber   QUOTE (djellison @ Jul 8 2007, 11:51 AM) ...   Jul 8 2007, 10:02 AM
- - Stu   Giving another talk later this week and would appr...   Jul 8 2007, 12:45 PM
|- - hortonheardawho   QUOTE (Stu @ Jul 8 2007, 08:45 AM) Giving...   Jul 8 2007, 06:08 PM
- - Oersted   Just checked out my window here on Mars, and yes, ...   Jul 8 2007, 05:40 PM
- - Stu   Thanks hort, bluer it shall be I was just unsur...   Jul 8 2007, 06:49 PM
- - Ant103   New pics on the exploratorium for Spirit Look at ...   Jul 10 2007, 10:27 PM
- - alan   Yep, another cleaning event for Spirit's solar...   Jul 10 2007, 10:46 PM
|- - Stephen   QUOTE (alan @ Jul 11 2007, 08:46 AM) Yep,...   Jul 11 2007, 09:16 AM
- - monty python   Yikes! Thats a spectacular and unique amount ...   Jul 11 2007, 02:49 AM
- - slinted   Looks like the winds picked up sometime between 12...   Jul 11 2007, 03:35 AM
- - alan   good eyes slinted A comparison between 1238 and ...   Jul 11 2007, 03:46 AM
- - djellison   The Silica Valley tracks have been virtually wiped...   Jul 11 2007, 07:44 AM
- - djellison   1200 sols without significant dust deposition on l...   Jul 11 2007, 09:23 AM
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