The rumor of the death of Opportunity "very premature", despite three weeks of silence

I've talked a lot about the huge dust storm that hit Mars and how NASA's two rovers, Opportunity and Curiosity, have survived. ;event. On both, Curiosity was served the much sweeter side of the dish: powered by a nuclear reactor and seated by the storm, he was free to quietly capture the weather pictures (and herself).

and Opportunity powered by solar energy, however, is stuck in the massive storm. In addition to being bombarded by dust that could damage its scientific instruments, the robot is also unable to recharge. Dust blocks so much sunlight that Opportunity solar panels simply can not create a spark. Devoid of battery charge, the rover has a real chance to freeze to death – ironically – the Valley of Perseverance of Mars

Boots as Hard as Worn

Opportunity has been in service for 14 years now. It's a veteran space explorer that has relayed treasures of data for researchers here on Earth. I'm rooting for the bot to face the storm. At this point, however, it's been three weeks since she has not made contact with NASA – enough for her to worry most about her fate.

James Rice, co-investigator and head of the geology team on NASA projects including Opportunity, says we should not assume the worst for now

Speaking with Space Insider Dr. Rice explains during her last contact with NASA, Opportunity also sent back a reading of power. He showed that the rover managed to scrape a meager 22 Wh of energy from his solar panels. For context, the rover was able to collect 645 Wh of energy from its panels ten days ago. This energy embargo is currently the main concern of NASA.

However, he adds that the same storm that prevents Opportunity from recharging its batteries could ultimately also be his salvation.

One of the reasons NASA was caught off guard by the storm is that they usually do not form around this time of the Martian year. It's currently spring on the southern hemisphere of the red planet, but dust storms usually form in the summer. The only other dust episode recorded by NASA during the Martian Spring occurred in 2001, and even this one appeared significantly later in the season than the current storm.

30. The team was informed and developed a three-day plan to allow the rover to spend the weekend. After the weekend, the storm continued, atmospheric opacity leaping from day to day.

Yet, at least, it's not winter – so average temperatures are not so low right now on Mars. Dust helps warm Opportunity because it traps heat around the rover.

"We went from 645 watt hours in good health on June 1 to an unimaginable and life threatening level, about a week later. Our last power reading on June 10 was only 22 watt hours, the lowest ever, "says Rice.

"Our thermal experts think we will stay above these low critical temperatures. ) which is well insulated. We do not expect any thermal damage to batteries or computer systems. Fortunately for us, it's also the Martian spring and dust, while preventing our solar energy from helping us warm up at night, "he added.

The storm reached 15.8 million square miles (41 million square kilometers) in size in June. This poses a real risk for Opportunity's well-being, but ground control remains optimistic. The director of the Mars exploration program, Jim Watzin, thinks that the huge storm has already peaked – but, considering the fact that it took him about a month to build up, it may take a long time to completely dissipate.

As of our last opportunity report, Saturday, June 30th, this storm is showing no sign of slowing anytime soon. We were lucky enough to perform an uplink last night at the potential low power window. We sent a real-time beep as we did in the last two weeks. We had a negative beep detection at the scheduled time, "Rice adds.

" A formal listening strategy is being developed for the next few months. "

Among others, or rather because of all that is Arriving at Opportunity, I can not help feeling a real admiration for her as well as the people who helped put her together. was launched for the first time in 2004 and, with his brother Spirit, was supposed to perform a 90 day mission.The spirit continued until 2010, and Opportunity continues to be strong today ( and hopefully for longer.) It's a level of dedication I can only dream of.

Based in part on the rocky history of the rover, Dr. Rice believes that "the rumors of the death of 39; Opportunity are premature at this stage.] Enjoyed this article Join more than 40,000 subscribers to the ZME Science Newsletter Subscribe Now!