Opportunity Rover Solar Panels

The hardest working robot in the solar system nasa announced that after 15 years and 5 000 charge cycles the mars rover opportunity is officially dead.

Opportunity rover solar panels.

Designed to last just 90 martian days and to travel 1 100 yards 1 000 meters opportunity vastly surpassed all expectations in its endurance scientific value and longevity. Opportunity went quiet during a historic mars wide dust storm in 2018 that reduced the energy available to the rover s solar panels. The last signal from the spacecraft was heard on june 10 2018. Rover opportunity celebrates mars spring power boost sister rover spirit was not able to soldier on for as long as opportunity but it wasn t dust covering its solar panels that killed off.

A self portrait of nasa s mars exploration rover opportunity taken in late march 2014 right shows that much of the dust on the rover s solar arrays has been removed since a similar portrait from january 2014 left. Both were taken by opportunity s panoramic camera pancam. A cleaning event is a phenomenon whereby dust is removed from solar panels in the context of exploration and science rovers on mars supposedly by the action of wind the term cleaning event is used on several nasa webpages. Generally supposing that martian winds have blown dust clear off the probes on mars including the solar panels which power them increasing their energy output.

Launched on july 7 2003 as part of nasa s mars exploration rover program it landed in meridiani planum on january 25 2004 three weeks after its twin spirit mer a touched down on the other side of the planet. Mars exploration rovers spirit and opportunity exploring the planet mars facts information videos and pictures. A self portrait of nasa s mars exploration rover opportunity taken in late march 2014 right shows that much of the dust on the rover s solar arrays has been removed since a similar portrait from january 2014 left. The mars rover opportunity has been cleaned of heavy dust coating its solar panels thanks to some strong winds blowing over the rim of endeavour crater.

In ideal conditions its solar panels generate 400 watt hours of energy per day. The opportunity rover has been operating successfully on mars for over 14 years.