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MERs: what limits their lifetime on Mars surface?
Hello!
Reading various bits of info about Mars rovers on various sites I haven't noticed (or missed?) any info about their life expectancy on the Mars surface. I'l curious to know what limits their life? Do they consume anything like batteries charge-discharge cycles? Is their ability to recharge batteries limited by the Mratian seasons? In how long time the dust will cover the solar panels to such extent that batteries could no longer be charged? Can these panels be rotated briefly to vertical to allow the dust to fall off? Is there any lubrication of the moving parts (especially wheels) that is consumed over time? What is the expected time for the dust to clog various moving parts? Anything else? TIA, ************************************************** **************************** * Arie Kazachin, Israel, e-mail: * ************************************************** **************************** NOTE: before replying, leave only letters in my domain-name. Sorry, SPAM trap. |
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what limits their lifetime on Mars surface?
"Arie Kazachin" om wrote in message ... Hello! Reading various bits of info about Mars rovers on various sites I haven't noticed (or missed?) any info about their life expectancy on the Mars surface. I'l curious to know what limits their life? Do they consume anything like batteries charge-discharge cycles? Is their ability to recharge batteries limited by the Mratian seasons? In how long time the dust will cover the solar panels to such extent that batteries could no longer be charged? Can these panels be rotated briefly to vertical to allow the dust to fall off? Solar panels 'wear' out so the power generation drops. And the batteries themselves also have a limited number of charge-cycles which they can handle (same with recharcheable batteries in cell-phones etc.). The lifetime of the electronics and moving parts is far longer, and not the limiting factor. |
#3
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what limits their lifetime on Mars surface?
i have read that they are built to last 90 days. however, in the past when
they said it would work x, it has always worked 2x to 3x, so we could still be watching them roll in late spring or early summer (earthime) Bob "Arie Kazachin" om wrote in message ... Hello! Reading various bits of info about Mars rovers on various sites I haven't noticed (or missed?) any info about their life expectancy on the Mars surface. I'l curious to know what limits their life? Do they consume anything like batteries charge-discharge cycles? Is their ability to recharge batteries limited by the Mratian seasons? In how long time the dust will cover the solar panels to such extent that batteries could no longer be charged? Can these panels be rotated briefly to vertical to allow the dust to fall off? Is there any lubrication of the moving parts (especially wheels) that is consumed over time? What is the expected time for the dust to clog various moving parts? Anything else? TIA, ************************************************** ************************** ** * Arie Kazachin, Israel, e-mail: * ************************************************** ************************** ** NOTE: before replying, leave only letters in my domain-name. Sorry, SPAM trap. |
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MERs: what limits their lifetime on Mars surface?
On Fri, 9 Jan 2004 00:24:19,
(Arie Kazachin) wrote: Reading various bits of info about Mars rovers on various sites I haven't noticed (or missed?) any info about their life expectancy on the Mars surface. 90 days. http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/tl_surface.html "Eventual End of Mission Toward the end of the surface phase for both missions, both power and telecom capabilities will be decreasing, as the Earth and the Sun become more distant from Mars, dust falls on the solar panels, the batteries lose capacity, and the Sun moves further North past the landing site latitude. Eventually, somewhere near Sol 91 it is expected that the rover will be unable to store up enough thermal or battery energy to prevent its components´ overnight temperatures from falling below flight allowable levels. That will sooner or later result in failure of one or more of those components, silencing the rover forever." Someone at JPL needs to read that paragraph to the MER engineers. The clock is ticking, folks. Get that puppy moving. No sense sending a rover to Mars if you're too timid to drive it off the lander. Brian |
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MERs: what limits their lifetime on Mars surface?
In article ,
Brian Thorn wrote: Someone at JPL needs to read that paragraph to the MER engineers. The clock is ticking, folks. Get that puppy moving. No sense sending a rover to Mars if you're too timid to drive it off the lander. The timeline has always included a few days of checkout on the lander before driving off. The MER engineers are fully aware that the clock is ticking, but there's lots to do. They aren't sitting around dithering. -- MOST launched 30 June; science observations running | Henry Spencer since Oct; first surprises seen; papers pending. | |
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MERs: what limits their lifetime on Mars surface?
Brian Thorn wrote:
Someone at JPL needs to read that paragraph to the MER engineers. The clock is ticking, folks. Get that puppy moving. No sense sending a rover to Mars if you're too timid to drive it off the lander. I'm sure they are aware of it. But just think how much everybody would squeal if they tip it over or get hung up because they just drove it off forward and took their chances. It's one minor, planned-for contingency in an otherwise close-to-flawless operation. Brett |
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MERs: what limits their lifetime on Mars surface?
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what limits their lifetime on Mars surface?
They say the internal temps are running a little higher than predicted, so that
would be good news for longevity, i would say... I thought on Sojourner, they put inside little sealed plutonium or uranium capsules as solid-state heaters, like mini RTG's withoutmhe power connections, ust to serve as 'hot water bottles" to keep the insides warm overnight... zat true? And are any of thes ein MER 1 and 2? Why not, if not? |
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MERs: what limits their lifetime on Mars surface?
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what limits their lifetime on Mars surface?
In article ,
MSu1049321 wrote: ...I thought on Sojourner, they put inside little sealed plutonium or uranium capsules as solid-state heaters, like mini RTG's withoutmhe power connections, ust to serve as 'hot water bottles" to keep the insides warm overnight... zat true? Yep. They're called RHUs, Radioisotope Heating Units. They use Pu-238, just like RTGs although in rather smaller quantities. The one snag is that you can't turn them on and off, so you have to go easy with them to avoid overheating. And are any of these in MER 1 and 2? Yes. -- MOST launched 30 June; science observations running | Henry Spencer since Oct; first surprises seen; papers pending. | |
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