Opportunity spotted when dust settles on Mars

NASA's rover Opportunity appears as an obstacle in the center of this place. This image, taken by HiRISE, a high-resolution camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter satellite, shows that the dust storm on the Perseverance Valley has taken a toll on NASA / JPL-Caltech / Univ. of Arizona

While NASA Opportunity Mars rover remains silent, the skies of Mars are clear enough for the mobile to be spotted from the orbit. A new image of the Mars Recognition Orbiter (MRO) HiRISE camera shows Opportunity on the slopes of the valley of perseverance. Opportunity had descended into the valley, when a dust storm swept the area a little more 100 days ago.

The storm is one that has raised dust on the red planet, preventing sunlight from reaching the surface. Unable to generate enough energy with its solar cells, Opportunity went into hibernation.

At times during the dust storm, the tau, a measure of the amount of sunlight reaching the surface, Opportunity On Thursday, September 20, the Tau was estimated at about 1.3 by the Mars Color Imager (MARCI) MRO camera. This means that about 25% of the direct sunlight now reaches the surface.

The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Opportunity Mission Team has not heard from the rover since June 10th. In recent weeks, the dust has begun to dissipate. On September 11th, JPL began to increase the frequency of mobile orders. Scientists do not know how much dust has fallen Opportunity solar panels. The HiRISE image shows some redness of the surrounding area, suggesting dust fallout, but it is impossible to determine the amount of dust present on the berries. As the dusty skies of the red planet continue to disengage, the JPL will continue to send frequent commands and imaging will be repeated.

Tagged: Jet Propulsion Laboratory March NASA Rover Exploration Opportunity Range

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Jim Sharkey

Jim Sharkey is a laboratory assistant, writer and general science enthusiast. He grew up in Enid, Oklahoma, home town of Skylab and astronaut Owen K. Garriott. As a young fan of Star Trek, he participated in the letter writing campaign that resulted in the creation of the Enterprise Space Shuttle prototype.

While his university studies range from psychology and archeology to biology, he has never lost his passion for space exploration. Jim started blogging on science, science fiction and futurism in 2004.

Jim resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and attended NASA Socials for the Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity Rover Landing and the launch of NASA's LADEE Lunar Orbiter.