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Thick Dust Alters NASA Mars Rover Plans
coondoggie writes "NASA's long-running Mars rover Opportunity is getting ready for the harsh Martian winter, but this year for the first time in its nearly eight-year history it needs a sunnier location to continue its work. NASA said the rover, which depends on solar power for energy, is sitting just south of Mars' equator and has worked through four Martian southern hemisphere winters. Being closer to the equator than its now defunct twin rover, Spirit, Opportunity has not needed to stay on a Sun-facing slope during previous winters but now its solar panels carry a thicker coating of Martian dust than before."
They thought of all these solutions, and in the end it just made more sense to make the solar panels larger than do anything complicated.
Don't forget these rovers were designed for a 90 day mission.
Maxim: People cannot follow directions.
Increases in truth directly with the length of time spent explaining them
It's my understanding that dust devils have done a pretty good job of keeping the solar panels clean over the years.