NASA Mars InSight lander limits operations due to dusty solar panels

This story, Welcome to marsOur series exploring the red planet.

This is a A big moon for spacecraft entering Mars orbitbut let’s not forget the machines already on the ground. NASA’s solar-powered InSight Lander, which landed in 2018, has a dust problem to deal with.

NASA temporarily limits the operation of InSight’s science tools. “As dust collects on solar panels and winter comes to Elysium Planitia, the team is following a plan to reduce science operations to keep the land safe.” the agency said on Friday.

The InSight team tweeted An eye-catching pair of images that show Lander’s solar panels near when he first landed and what he looked like now. There is a healthy layer of reddish dust covering the array.

The large solar panels of the land are designed to continue to operate even in the dusty conditions of Mars in anticipation that dust demons will help clear them. “But although InSight has detected hundreds of passing dust demons, none have come close enough to clear the dining-table-sized panels since they opened on Mars in November 2018,” NASA said.

Solar panels now produce 27% of their full capacity when they are clean. Some of this power needs to go to InSight’s heaters to save land during the Martian winter. The available power will be shared between heaters and various scientific instruments.

The InSight team hopes to support science operations more fully as Mars approaches the sun in mid-2021. “Right now, the power levels seem strong enough to take the landing vehicle into winter,” NASA said. “But solar power generation on Mars is always somewhat uncertain.”

InSight recently received a task extension By December 2022, this will allow it to continue collecting seismic and weather data. Now he just has to get through the winter.

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