Combatpigeon96 t1_iriwne8 wrote
Is there research being done on cleaning the solar panels? I feel like that would be a really good feature to have.
manducentcrustula t1_iriwvh7 wrote
No, I'm pretty sure NASA hasn't thought about the fact it would be nice to have clean solar panels and tried to fix the problem
JoCoMoBo t1_irixz3n wrote
How about sending a person with a big stick to knock the sand off...?
DynamiteWitLaserBeam t1_irj0voc wrote
Genius. And if anything breaks, this person can poke it with the big stick and say "you can do it bessie - 'at a girl!".
JoCoMoBo t1_irj1et9 wrote
Yep, they can poke the off/on switch on the lander and restart it if needed.
Smile_Space t1_irizefu wrote
It'll add weight and complexity. More complexity equals more failure points. Also it would require more power storage.
So they design the lander to survive a specific amount of time as a top level requirement. If they don't need wipers (which due to the shape of the panels would only move the dust around on the panels) or any other heavy complex part to meet that top level requirement, then they don't bring it.
Combatpigeon96 t1_irizn6d wrote
I’d say solar panels inevitably not working is a pretty big point of failure though. Most rovers and landers go way over their predicted lifetime too.
AreaAtheist t1_irj0jde wrote
Solar panels get the benefit of occasionally being blown clean by a lucky gust of wind, which has extended the life of a few rovers.
Smile_Space t1_irj1dmh wrote
True, but if their top level requirement was to only gather data for 4 years, then they designed the solar panels to simply provide enough power to survive that 4 years. If it survives longer great! But due to their requirements more than likely not being beyond that, they don't need the extra weight.
Remember, they had to maximize overy ounce on the craft to meet the mass limitations. Otherwise they weren't gonnaake it to Mars. Any attempt to add parts to clean the solar panels means they'd have to downsize or outright remove some scientific payloads they brought with which would further limit the landers capabilities.
November 26th is their official 4 year mark since landing, so this dust storm may take it out prior to hitting that specific requirement.
rocketsocks t1_irjwcmd wrote
There is, but it's a very hard problem, nobody has cracked it yet.
The dust on Mars is very clingy because of static, it's also very abrasive so you can't just use simple wipers or brushes without ruining the solar panels.
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