I'd just build in a vibrator, tip the panels slightly, and switch on!

Brian

--
Brian Gaff....
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
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"Damon Hill" wrote in message
32...
| "Jon Berndt" wrote in
| :
|
| I've heard in some of the press conferences questions from the press
| about concerns for potential dust devils in the vicinity of Spirit.
| The response to the questions was something like: the MER is heavy and
| could not be tipped over by the dust devil. I think this misses the
| point. I'd be concerned that the dust devil would churn up so much
| dust that the solar panels would be seriously degraded. I suppose
| dust devils come up so quickly that it's an unavoidable, but remote,
| possible hazard. I did wonder, though, what the prospect is of an
| "emergency folding" of the solar panels...
|
| How much extra could a couple of "windshield wipers" have cost in
| weight?
|
| Probably enough to eliminate other experiment packages. If dust proves
| to be a problem, it's likely that'll be given consideration on future
| landers. I might be concerned with dust on the camera lens; the
| camera resolution is high enough that it wouldn't take much to
| blur the fine details they're capable of.
|
| --Damon


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