NASA Loses Contact With Opportunity Rover as Martian Dust Storm Rages On
Things on Mars may have gone from bad to worse for the Opportunity rover. The dust storm on the planet shows no signs of abating, and NASA now says the rover has missed its latest check-in. That suggests its batteries are drained, and that could spell the end for this tenacious little solar-powered rover.
The dust storm began at the end of May as a small disturbance near Opportunity’s location in the Perseverance Valley region. Dust storms frequently happen on Mars, so alarm bells didn’t immediately go off. In the next week, it expanded to engulf the rover, which again, isn’t without precedent. Opportunity came through a dust storm back in 2007 unscathed. However, this storm has now expanded to cover a quarter of the planet, and the rover’s fate is uncertain, according to a NASA teleconference update.
When the storm reached Opportunity, NASA decided to place the robot in low power mode. All science objectives were suspended so the rover could conserve power for communication and internal heating. During a check-in last week, Opportunity reported an internal temperature of -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-29 Celsius). NASA recently tried to contact the rover again, and there was no answer. That doesn’t necessarily mean Opportunity is gone, but things aren’t looking good.
NASA currently believes that Opportunity has shifted into a failsafe mode, which is triggered automatically when the batteries reach critical charge levels. In this mode, only the mission clock remains active. The rover’s brain wakes up periodically to check the charge level of the batteries, then goes back to sleep if it’s still too low. Communication is completely deactivated in this mode.
Even if the storm begins to clear up tomorrow, Opportunity might not come back online. If the solar panels are covered with dust, the rover may not be able to recharge when the sun returns. Even if the panels are still working, the internal heater is not functional in low-power fallback mode. Cold temperatures could damage the batteries, making them inoperable.
The Opportunity rover was only designed to operate on Mars for 90 days, and it recently passed a whopping 15 years. Its sibling Spirit rover succumbed to the Martian cold in 2010. If the current storm does finish off the rover, it’s already far exceeded expectations. Meanwhile, the dust storm is getting closer to Curiosity’s location. That rover is nuclear-powered, so it should be fine as long as it can hunker down someplace safe.
Continue reading
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Is Leaking into Space
NASA reports the probe grabbed so much regolith from the asteroid that it's leaking out of the collector. The team is now working to determine how best to keep the precious cargo from escaping.
NASA: Asteroid Could Still Hit Earth in 2068
This skyscraper-sized asteroid might still hit Earth in 2068, according to a new analysis from the University of Hawaii and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
NASA Created a Collection of Spooky Space Sounds for Halloween
NASA's latest data release turns signals from beyond Earth into spooky sounds that are sure to send a chill up your spine.
NASA Discovers Vital Organic Molecule on Titan
In the latest analysis, researchers from NASA have identified an important, highly reactive organic molecule in Titan's atmosphere. Its presence suggests the moon could support chemical processes that we usually associate with life.