NASA rover still sitting silently in the dust storm of Mars

When you are caught in a storm here on Earth, you just find shelter for a little while and let it pass, but things are very different on Mars. It's been three weeks since the huge dust storm on Mars engulfed NASA's rover Opportunity and scientists have no idea when the robot will wake up or the condition in which it will find itself when he finally does.

They had the worst of this global storm and since it is located in an area that was one of the first to be shrouded in dense dust clouds, its solar panels were unable to capture the light that gives energy for a moment. So the rover sits in silence, unable to talk to his managers at home and without enough power to do real work. So, what's next?

Dr. James Rice, co-investigator and head of the geology team on NASA's project including Opportunity, recently gave an update on the status of Opportunity, as well as an interesting overview of what's happening. Was the mobile just before it closed:

We went from a healthy production of 645 watt hours on June 1 to an unprecedented level, threatening life, about a week later. Our last power reading on June 10 was only 22 watt hours, the lowest ever seen. The main concern is that we will not have enough power to keep us warm enough to avoid any damage to the vehicle electronics. However, our thermal experts think we will stay above these low critical temperatures because we have a hot electronic box (WEB) that is well insulated. We do not expect any thermal damage to batteries or computer systems. Fortunately for us, it is also the Martian spring and dust, while preventing our solar energy from helping us warm up at night.

Rice also dismisses concerns that the storm will eventually claim Opportunity's life, saying that she's "far from dead" and that the longevity of the rover should be proof that everything the world needs to believe that it will come out of the dire situation.

He is certainly right on this last point. The initial mission of Opportunity was to last 90 days from its date of landing in 2004, but it has somehow extended to more than 14 years, continuing to add objectives. scientists to its already impressive list of achievements. Let's just cross our fingers so that his incredible race does not stop there.