This is how NASA faces the massive Martian dust storm

These new views of Mars, taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, show that the entire planet is now engulfed in the dust storm that began at the end of the month of may. And while the orbiters study the storm to better understand it, it could create problems for rovers on its surface.

Storms like these occur every six to eight Earth years, according to a NASA statement. The most recent one began with a smaller storm, first observed on May 30th, forcing the Opportunity rover to enter hibernation early in June. As of June 20, the storm has surrounded the planet.

"It's exciting because it's the strongest dust storm we've ever seen on Mars," said Gizmodo Tanya Harrison, director of the initiative NewSpace of the Arizona State University. "It's worrying for Opportunity because it's not getting enough light to keep its batteries charged, but the thermal models tell us the temperature is on our side."

Opportunity will remain asleep until the dust settles, probably in September try to wake him up. The main concern is whether the solar powered mobile can survive the cold without being able to keep warm, although the thick dust can absorb heat and prevent the opportunity to feel the worst of the freezing temperature. Harrison said the scientists are optimistic.

Meanwhile, other experiments are trying to understand the storm: the NASA Mars Odyssey orbiter tracks the temperature and atmospheric composition of the planet to better study it, according to this version. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter takes color photos of the atmosphere and measures the temperature, while its MAVEN orbiter studies how the storm affects the top of the Martian atmosphere, above the dust. They want to know how small storms turn into planetary events.

And 5,000 miles from Opportunity, the Curiosity rover is less at risk. It is powered by nuclear power, so it does not need to hibernate. He tries to measure the properties of the dust particles while he continues to drill into the rock, but as we reported, the dust could damage his cameras.

Scientists are excited to study the storm to learn more about our red neighbor. "The storm gives us a chance to better understand how these storms move from regional encirclement to planetary encirclement, and what kind of effects they have on albedo motifs [how the planet reflects sunlight] on the surface."

[NASA]