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Concerns grow as Opportunity remains silent


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Fingers crossed that it is just dust-choked solar panels making it slow to recharge ? 

Amazing that is has been going for 15 years !

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15 years is a good run, you would be lucky if you get a car that will run that long.  Wait my car is 15 years old, its a Chrysler, though.

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3 hours ago, fred_mc said:

I think they should include wipers that can clean the solar panels in future rovers.

As they will be needed when the solar panels aren't working how exactly are you going to power them?

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3 hours ago, fred_mc said:

I think they should include wipers that can clean the solar panels in future rovers.

To wipe the dust from the panels would scratch the panels surface, reducing its efficiency factor very fast.

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1 hour ago, Waspie_Dwarf said:

As they will be needed when the solar panels aren't working how exactly are you going to power them?

Well, when a dust storm is approaching, you have to make sure that there is enough power in the battery before entering hibernation mode, so that the wipers will work after waking up from hibernation mode.

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1 hour ago, toast said:

To wipe the dust from the panels would scratch the panels surface, reducing its efficiency factor very fast.

Yes, but the wipers are supposed to be used extremely rarely, like after a dust storm. You could also have another mechanism than wipers to clean the solar panels, like blowing air on the panels to get rid of the dust.

Edited by fred_mc
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The Mars Rovers were... Erm. Considerably more expensive than a car though, to be fair. :P I had the same thoughts after one of the first dust storms they weathered; why doesn't they have a way to cover and or clean their solar panels? That seems like it'd be a pretty important feature to have on such a dusty planet prone to dust storms. I would say either allowing a rover to tilt its solar panels to let the dust slide off (which would have the added benefit of letting it tilt them to catch more sun), or blow them off. Maybe both. And I wonder if they insulated the batteries? It would be a shame if the Opportunity stopped working now. I just hope that any future rovers they make will be better able to tackle any of the problems they ran into with the current rovers. We still have the Curiosity though, right?

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IF it is over, it's been a good ride, dear rover.

Bravo on your extraordinarily extended mission.

My God, I'm talking like it was my pet dog. :o

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It just needs a belly rub...

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On ‎8‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 9:20 AM, Grandpa Greenman said:

15 years is a good run, you would be lucky if you get a car that will run that long.  Wait my car is 15 years old, its a Chrysler, though.

I'm sorry.  Was it only driven to church on Sundays? :whistle:

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Hopefully its run isn't over. But this brings to mind a new business opportunity.  Portable Rover washers which go to the Rover when it can't come to the washer. Of course a waster source could be an issue. Maybe we can just air blast the sand off.

Edited by paperdyer
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I'm crying. It's dieing.

I've bonded with that thing. It kept going and going and going. A real trooper.

This hurts.

Oh for God's sake, what is wrong with me?! Just a hunk of mobile composites controlled from Earth via orbiter.

But, but, it had feelings.

If it had a speaker it would be saying "Mommy, Daddy!!!"

So heart-wrenching.

Damn, I'm messed-up.

:blink:

 

 

Edited by pallidin
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