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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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djellison
post Jul 8 2007, 09:51 AM
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Yes - cleaning is usually thought to be due to high winds

Dust storms are thought to cause high winds

Thus - major cleaning and dust storms tend to be closely related.

Maybe it's something to do with the change in illumination - BUT - Opportunity looks utterly A1 clean right now.

Doug
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climber
post Jul 8 2007, 10:02 AM
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QUOTE (djellison @ Jul 8 2007, 11:51 AM) *
Yes - cleaning is usually thought to be due to high winds
Dust storms are thought to cause high winds
Doug

I don't know how it works, a meteorologist can help on this, but I was thinking of a kind of depression created by the storm that would have led it by a few hours. Does it make sense?


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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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