Dust storm on Mars is threatening the Opportunity rover.

[Scotius]

Bad weather on Mars, folks - and plucky little Opportunity is caught right in the middle of a very, very nasty dust storm. Will its batteries hold out long enough to survive this predicament? Will rover's solar panels continue to work when sand settles on them? Scott Manley did  video on this topic:

 

[Mitchz95]

 

Opportunity will be fine. Unfortunately for us.

[kerbiloid]

Spoiler

Future Mars colonists emblem.
Crossed geological hammer and pp duster.

 +  

 

[YNM]

11 hours ago, Mitchz95 said:

Opportunity will be fine. Unfortunately for us.

Was about to post this XD

[kerbiloid]

It's all right.
 

Spoiler

 

[mikegarrison]

1 hour ago, kerbiloid said:

 

Can't they afford to hire someone who can do a good photoshop? Look at how those wheels are clipping into the ground.

[kerbiloid]

6 minutes ago, mikegarrison said:

Look at how those wheels are clipping into the ground.

And at something looking like a white building reflected in the solar panels.

Wait...
Oh, ....

[GDJ]

6 hours ago, mikegarrison said:

Can't they afford to hire someone who can do a good photoshop? Look at how those wheels are clipping into the ground.

 

6 hours ago, kerbiloid said:

And at something looking like a white building reflected in the solar panels.

Wait...
Oh, ....

Dreadful work I agree.

[NSEP]

6 hours ago, mikegarrison said:

Can't they afford to hire someone who can do a good photoshop? Look at how those wheels are clipping into the ground.

I hate it when i stand on sand and my feet clip into the ground.

When was that render made, 2003? 2004?

off topic

[Guest]

*ahem* back on topic!

I think opportunity will be just fine. 

[NSEP]

I think opportunity will have to stay idle for quite a long time so breezes can blow some of the dust off. The dust on it is without a doubt extremely light, and i think even the most martian of breezes can blow it off. But we will have to see.

[kerbiloid]

Just for 50 USD more... What a shame.
https://www.ebay.com/bhp/wiper-blades

[insert_name]

http://nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-hold-media-teleconference-on-martian-dust-storm-mars-opportunity-rover

Doesn't sound too good

[tater]

 

[tater]

Press conf live in under 15 minutes:

 

[tater]

Power savings has to be balanced with operations, since operations keep the rover warm. Sleep mode for an extended period could be mission ending.

Nonetheless, the temp is coming into summer temps, and the storm has warmed the atmosphere, so they think it can weather storm.

If they lose all battery power, it goes into clock fault mode, and the rover with then try contact at intervals (not knowing what time it is) at times when it has power.

[tater]

 

[Diche Bach]

So, to you guys who are buffs or experts on this stuff: why did they send rovers to Mars without a radioisotope generator? That tech is like what . . . 45 year old? Was it just cost?

It seems it was always pretty obvious Mars is a dusty place, and thus solar power was problematic

[StrandedonEarth]

RTGs are expensive and the specific isotope of plutonium for them is in short supply. Production has restarted, but it’s on the order of grams/year

[VaPaL]

Maybe also mass/size. Curiosity is a lot bigger than Opportunity and all RTG I ever saw in photos were big (but I never looked much into it)

Spoiler

EDIT: this one from Apollo 14 ALSEP looks smaller, but it's hard to say in terms of power generation:

Spoiler

 

Edited June 14, 2018 by VaPaL

[tater]

Spirit and Opportunity were not designed for long life, they were expected to operate for 90 days.

90 days... We're now on Sol 5107?

If Opportunity was a Kerbal, badS = True.

[YNM]

2 hours ago, Diche Bach said:

why did they send rovers to Mars without a radioisotope generator?

Heavy.

Also, will not look good if broken (think Beagle).

[kerbiloid]

Not even RTG.
Why does this fully mechanised rover not have a simple windshield wiper.
Or can't fold-unfold its unfoldable solar panels to shake off the dust.
Wasn't it sent to a dusty desert?

[Streetwind]

2 hours ago, kerbiloid said:

Why does this fully mechanised rover not have a simple windshield wiper.

Already answered two posts above yours:

It was designed to operate for 90 days. Long-term maintenance gear was considered pointless.

[Shpaget]

Which begs the question, why is such complex and expensive hardware expected to last only a few months, while the total mission time from concept and design to data analysis takes many years. I think that both Spirit and Opportunity showed us that there is plenty of science to be done well past the designed lifetime.

Somehow I believe that such expensive projects should be built with as many safeguards as possible for indefinite extension of operation.

This existing approach stinks of planned obsolescence.