Giving Up On The Mars Opportunity Rover?

[Robert Zwilling]

Rover has 45 days to respond
Maybe next time they will include a small long term power storage battery which will kick in after a set time of no activity. Give it a one time power surge. It could be sitting under a pile of sand at this point. Any movement might be enough to get it going again. Or it could send a message saying "Hey you wise guys, Get me outta here!"

 

[Vertigo]

Rover has 45 days to respond
Maybe next time they will include a small long term power storage battery which will kick in after a set time of no activity. Give it a one time power surge. It could be sitting under a pile of sand at this point. Any movement might be enough to get it going again. Or it could send a message saying "Hey you wise guys, Get me outta here!"

Well as it's planned life was about 3 months which it has exceeded by nearly fourteen and half years and has been having age related problems with it's long term memory for quite a while, such that they are now operating in RAM only mode, I suspect no one is going to be complaining about bad design. It does have batteries and when something like this storm hits (I think it's survived a previous dust storm but wouldn't swear to it) it goes into hibernation mode waking every now and then to test if conditions have changed.

But it's unlikely they'll take this approach with future rovers instead going with the greater power provided by the "nuclear" generator as used by Curiosity. Limited lifetime as opposed to solar but solar alone would, I suspect, never have got something like Curiosity up the hills it has been climbing.

 

[Robert Zwilling]

Mars Orbiter Spots Rover
Just have to wait to see what happens next. The article did mention Rover has plutonium-powered heaters. Too bad it didn't also have plutonium-powered batteries that convert heat to electricity, would have been a good trickle charger. They last just about forever.

 

[Vertigo]

Mars Orbiter Spots Rover
Just have to wait to see what happens next. The article did mention Rover has plutonium-powered heaters. Too bad it didn't also have plutonium-powered batteries that convert heat to electricity, would have been a good trickle charger. They last just about forever.

I guess that would have tipped the scales on weight, she's a pretty small beast as compared to Curiosity. Also they seem a little unsure whether the heaters will still be working; 14 years is a long time when you're only designed to last a few months! Fingers crossed time!

 

[Parson]

To say that the Mars Rover mission was a stunning success would underestimate it by half, even if it has now become Mars rubble.

 

[Robert Zwilling]

Rover Update, waiting for the dust covering to blow away
NASA has gone form trying to talk to Rover a few times a week to a couple a times a day. The dust clearing wind season is opening up. It is hoped the winds will clear the dust off the Rover's solar cells so it can recharge its batteries.

 

[Anthoney]

At the time we needed a big win with Mars. The Mars Climate Orbiter had failed. The Polar Lander failed. Path Finder died in a few short weeks. I was beginning to think the Martians were just picking them off. Then we sent Spirit, the first MER, then Opportunity and they just wouldn't quit.

Spirit last until 2010 and Opportunity until recently.

Curiosity is still running.

 

[Dan Jones]

I've posted some related (in a sorta, kinda roundabout way) news to this here.