NASA’s
Mars rover, Spirit, adheres to a strict energy diet because of dust coating its
solar panels.
Last
summer’s dust storms blotted the sun from the sky and left a thick coating of
dust on Spirit’s solar panels. Winter has also brought additional own problems
as the nights grew longer and the days colder. That forced NASA mission
planners to put the rover on its diet and cut back on both communications and “awake
time.”
The
rover consumed just enough energy each day to run a microwave oven for seven
minutes, heating itself to keep its battery and mineral-detection instrument
alive. Now that Spirit has survived the June 25 winter solstice in the southern
hemisphere, the rover can look forward to spring and improved energy levels.
— NASA and SPACE.com Staff
Credit: NASA
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