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Mystery Phenomenon Cleans Mars Opportunity Rover

Posted by timothy on from the maybe-labor's-just-really-cheap-there dept.

vg30e writes "It seems that some unexplained phenomenon has cleaned the dirt off the Mars Opportunity Rover. While the Spirit rover is down to 400 watt-hours per day due to the dirt obscuring its solar panels, Opportunity has gone from 500 watt-hours to 900 per day. I wish this phenomenon would clean the snow off my car."

3 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. Totaly uneducated guess... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Static build up during the day attracts dirt and particles, and during the night, when the machine shuts down most of the way the static charge bleeds away, and martian wind blows the dust off.

  2. Wipers? by vettemph · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I been wondering why they didn't just design a slow moving wiper brush to clean the panels in the first place. One wipe every 30 days or as needed.

    --
    The government which is strong enough to protect you from everything is strong enough to take everything from you.
  3. At every corner... by Basilisk · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ... there stands a martian squeegee kid.