Dust storm on Mars is threatening the Opportunity rover.

[Green Baron]

From what i know consumer grade panel's degradation rates are between 0.5% and 0.8% per year. I can imagine that what nasa uses is better than that (though probably not by a factor) and by no means a limiting element for the rover.

Btw.: If i read it right, the rover's panels are assumed to have been cleared from dust by wind shortly after the storm. The rover died of old age.

Edited February 15, 2019 by Green Baron

[kerbiloid]

1 minute ago, Rakaydos said:

Solar panel degredation wasn't part of the conversation concerning Opportunity-  Randal Munrow joked about Opportunity lasting another hundred years.

So, it's age doesn't matter.

[DarkOwl57]

So hang on. There's sand on the solar panels, correct? Well, what would happen if some wind blew the dust off? Then the solar panels would get light, the rover would power up, and then Opportunity is alive!

[kerbiloid]

Spoiler

2 minutes ago, DarkOwl57 said:

Opportunity is alive!

It's now under the witness protection. You'll never see it again.

 

[Green Baron]

8 minutes ago, DarkOwl57 said:

So hang on. There's sand on the solar panels, correct? Well, what would happen if some wind blew the dust off? Then the solar panels would get light, the rover would power up, and then Opportunity is alive!

Yeah, that was about the course of things ... until last time. But that can all be read up on NASA's mission pages or even Wikipedia.

Edited February 15, 2019 by Green Baron

[Rakaydos]

29 minutes ago, DarkOwl57 said:

So hang on. There's sand on the solar panels, correct? Well, what would happen if some wind blew the dust off? Then the solar panels would get light, the rover would power up, and then Opportunity is alive!

The problem is that battery technology requires maintaining a reasonable temperature, or it bricks itself. Without power to run the heaters, there's no battry left to run the heaters, and it becomes a braindead zombie rover that only walks in the day.

[Green Baron]

Just for completion, a NASA text on rover heat control:

https://marsmobile.jpl.nasa.gov/mer/mission/rover/temperature/

 

Edited February 15, 2019 by Green Baron

[magnemoe]

6 hours ago, Rakaydos said:

The problem is that battery technology requires maintaining a reasonable temperature, or it bricks itself. Without power to run the heaters, there's no battry left to run the heaters, and it becomes a braindead zombie rover that only walks in the day.

So we might have an undead robot on Mars. 

 

[ProtoJeb21]

Someone in my robotics club programmed their VEX robot to say “my battery is low, and it is getting dark out.” Their robot is also named F-bot, coincidentally enough, although I don’t think constantly playing a beloved rover’s dying message counts as paying respects. 

[Rakaydos]

17 hours ago, magnemoe said:

So we might have an undead robot on Mars. 

 

"That is Opportunity's half of the planet. We must never go there."

[GDJ]

[tater]

Hmmm. Measure twice, cut once...

Wonder if he feels regerts.

[GDJ]

59 minutes ago, tater said:

Hmmm. Measure twice, cut once...

Wonder if he feels regerts.

Considering he got the wrong rover, I should hope so.

:D