Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

WimpyRanger t1_iu87x57 wrote

Reply to comment by Sabrewolf in NASA spacecraft records epic ‘marsquakes’ as it prepares to die by marketrent

What is the top layer on the rover panels? If the dust clings, the layer must hold a static charge. Given that the panels can rotate to shed the dust, and if they could also be charged to repel the dust, that seems like a clear win. If such a coating is not efficient enough, could you not use a grid type pattern? The EMF would still apply all over to some degree without absorbing much.

(Thank you for the reply)

Also, why couldn’t the panels be held near vertical to avoid the issue altogether?

0

Sabrewolf t1_iu8932v wrote

You are greatly overestimating the amount of mechanical force an EM field can apply to electrostatically charged martian dust. Even at the kV level, an EDS panel cannot "pop" dust off. Nor does charging the panel allow dust to become mobile enough to passively slide off without further EM interaction, even if the panel were angled.

The way an EDS works is by shifting the dust by alternatingly charging the patterned electrodes in the screen. Because EM field intensity falls off with the square of distance, this pattern is required to keep the dust close to the charged electrodes.

And all this still ignores the issue of Paschens breakdown.

2