Yesterday we told you that NASA ’s Opportunity rover wasfighting for its lifeon Mars in one of the biggest dust storms ever seen . Now it look like things have withdraw a turn for the worse .
In an updateposted last Nox , NASA said they had failed to learn back from the rover after attempting to reach it . This meant that the wanderer must haveswitchedto a “ grim power geological fault mode ” , as its batteries dipped below 24 V .
In this mode , all of the rover ’s subsystems , pull through for a commission clock , are switched off . That clock will repeatedly see if the scouter has enough big businessman from its solar panels to switch on and , if not , it ’ll keep the roamer deceased .
“ Due to an extreme amount of debris over Perseverance Valley [ where Opportunity is located ] , mission engineers consider it is unlikely the rover has enough sunshine to burden back up for at least the next several days , ” NASA said in the update .
This dust violent storm , which was first recognize at the ending of May by NASA ’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter ( MRO ) , has grown into an absolute monster . It has turned day into nighttime for Opportunity , blotting out the Sun , with the rover slap bang in the middle of the violent storm .
On Friday , June 8 , it was reckon to traverse about 18 million square kilometers ( 7 million square miles ) , but it ’s now doubled in sizing to more than 41 million straightforward kilometre ( 15.8 million solid miles ) , engulfing a quarter of the planet . That ’s big than North America and Russia combined .
It ’s so big that it ’s not affecting just Opportunity . NASA also took some pictures showing the extent of the storm with itsCuriosity rover , which is on the other side of the satellite .
The event is pretty serious , with NASA say they will hold amedia teleconferencelater today to discuss the massive violent storm , and “ what scientists can learn from the various missions studying this unprecedented event ” .
chance has survived on Mars for almost 15 years , far in overindulgence of its original 90 - day life . But it now faces an acute competitiveness to ensure the mission continues , and avoid the same fate thatled to the demiseof its twin rover Spirit .
When Spirit became stuck in loose soil , it was ineffective to tilt its solar panels to get enough power and live on the Martian winter . While chance is n’t stuck , it still faces a testing sentence to retain enough power to change back on , with no end to the violent storm in sight .
safe fortune , Opportunity . We ’re all rooting for you .
