SCI/TECH: Mars Rovers Get Mystery Power Boost, page 1

posted on Nov, 5 2004 @ 11:37 PM

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Scientists at NASA have been presented with yet another problem. However, unlike most of the issues at NASA, this is a good problem. Despite predictions one of the Mars rovers is actually increasing its available power.

news.yahoo.com
LOS ANGELES - As NASA's Mars rovers keep rolling past all expectations of their useful lives, scientists have a happy mystery: For some reason one of the vehicles has actually gained power recently.

Opportunity recently experienced an unexplained rejuvenation from what can so far be described only as two or three significant "cleaning events," said Jim Erickson, the rover project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

"Now we're assuming they're cleaning, but all we can really say is that overnight the solar panels produced between 2 and 5 percent additional power immediately," he said. "We're surmising that for some reason dust is being removed from the solar panel and that's increasing the efficiency of the sunlight being converted to electricity."

The rover team has been bandying about theories, but hasn't figured out the cause.

"One favorite is that a dust devil happened to pick the vehicle to go through and go over the surface of it and clean it off a little bit," Erickson said.

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It�s a bit of a mystery, but the working theory is that the solar panels are being cleaned off of dust somehow, thus increasing the effectiveness of them. The two Mars rovers have brought a wealth of information on the red planed and perhaps are the opening salvos in an attempt to send a manned mission to it.

spade

posted on Nov, 6 2004 @ 01:23 AM

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I have this image in my head of these little greys happing upon the rovers and dusting them off with their little hands. You know they're just trying to help us out. I think it's cute.

Axl

posted on Nov, 6 2004 @ 02:10 AM

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i feel the same too...maybe the aliens wants to go on live television.....and maybe they could become famous on our earth......

twitchy

posted on Nov, 6 2004 @ 02:32 AM

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I saw some pictures of australia today on the news, and I swear I think the mars rovers are humming around in the desert there with a red filter on their camera lenses. It's little more than a conjecture, but maybe the power boost has something to do with the comming summer there.

NVBadBoy

posted on Nov, 6 2004 @ 03:17 AM

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Looking at the most recent solar storms and flares in the last few days, it could be that the increase of solar radiation has been absorbed by the panels. However, I'm not a scientist, so take my pesonal opinion as just that... an opinion.

NVBadBoy

FredT

posted on Nov, 6 2004 @ 03:19 AM

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Originally posted by NVBadBoy
Looking at the most recent solar storms and flares in the last few days, it could be that the increase of solar radiation has been absorbed NVBadBoy

Interesting, I never thought of it that way. Im not an expert in solar panels either. Its alot closer to the sun. The article says that there first choice is that one of the many dustdevils that are on the surface cleaned the solar cell surface and that accounts for it.

HardCore American

posted on Nov, 6 2004 @ 06:22 AM

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Originally posted by Axl
i feel the same too...maybe the aliens wants to go on live television.....and maybe they could become famous on our earth......

I hear Don King has already signed the Greys to fight Mike Tyson in May.......my money is on the Greys

rustiswordz

posted on Nov, 6 2004 @ 06:26 AM

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Its the martians, they are back! HG Wells was right all along aaaargh!