An unexpected component helped curiosity to observe a Martian dust storm

During the summer, the biggest news on the Martian surface was the massive dust storm. Having ended up covering the entire planet, the storm was a major challenge for NASA's continued exploration of Mars. A new look at the events of the storm shows that NASA's Curiosity rover is based on an unexpected source: a tiny actuator that can keep it powered up and running at the best of the dust.

Curiosity landed on Mars on August 6, 2012 and has traveled the planet ever since. Alongside NASA's Rover Opportunity, it is one of two artificial objects on Mars that still transmit data to the Earth. About the size of a four-door sedan, she has achieved her goals: before this year's storm, she had discovered organic compounds containing carbon, a building block of life.

However, the storm was rapidly rising on the planet. On May 30, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) satellite, a satellite in orbit around the planet, detected dust accumulations in the atmosphere near the operator. On June 5, on the other side of the planet, in Carter Scabies, Curiosity detected something similar: the dust storm was developing rapidly. A few days later, on June 8, the solar-powered Opportunity rover would be shut down by dust.

NASA has been confronted with new and changing conditions across an obscure part of Curiosity: an engine that, according to NASA's press release, "feeds a funnel that takes samples of powdered Martian rock." Curiosity has a chemistry lab to remotely analyze the powdered rock for NASA. And unlike Opportunity, Curiosity is powered by a plutonium generator that is independent of dust.

"All my cards showed the effect of dust storm on the actuator as it is exposed; he is sitting on the deck of the rover, "says Benito Prats, an electromechanical engineer from Goddard in the press release. "Suddenly, I saw the daytime temperature drop very quickly."

The actuator showed temperatures that fell during the day and went up at night, each outside the normal parameters. These are classic models of dust storms, dust darkening the sun during the day and warming the surface at night.

By closely monitoring surface temperatures, Prats was able to predict where the storm was going. The understanding of the exact temperatures, combined with a historical knowledge of the Martian storms, allowed him to make an estimate.

"Ground 2125 (July 28), I noticed a linear trend," he says. "So I said OK, I can predict that the 2180 soil (September 23rd) will be the moment we are going out of the dust storm and that the temperature will return to normal even though I have it later put on the ground 2175 (18 September). "

As it would happen, Prats was right. Things started to settle around the 18th just as planned. Martian dust storms remain a major unknown for scientists, who are unable to predict them with the same precision as the rest of Martian time. The field data from Curiosity gave scientists like Prats a definite advantage.

Unfortunately, curiosity has not yet emerged from the crowd. Mars is a tough place, global dust storm or not. Curiosity is currently experiencing a kind of computer problem. Until this problem is resolved, he will not be able to send any more data to the house.

Source: NASA