A global
dust storm at Mars continues to veil the two surface rovers and their solar
panels, but NASA officials reported today they expect the robots are capable of
weathering the tempest.
The situation
grew steadily worse after the first storm started in mid-June, leading to a global
dust shroud. But in recent days the situation has improved. Still, until
the storm abates, the robots' operators on Earth will be on alert.
The rovers
rely on sunlight to charge their batteries and keep vital electronic parts
warm. The space agency plans to keep the rovers on a low-energy diet for the
time being, transferring data from the Martian surface only once every three
days until the storm dies down.
"We are
still waiting out the storms, and we don't know how long they will last or how
bad they will get," said John Callas, rover mission manager at NASA's
Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
The rover
Spirit now is weathering the dustiest
sky it has ever recorded, though not as severe as what its twin, Opportunity, faced a week ago. NASA, however, has said Opportunity is still the most
vulnerable because of a heater switch that has been stuck in the "on"
position since landing day in January 2004.
Each rover
has eight radioactive heaters in addition to electric heaters for keeping
batteries and electronics within safe operating temperatures. While the
plutonium-powered heaters aid the
rovers' survival on low-power days and through extremely cold nights, the
electric heaters are also necessary.
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