Mars Rover Covered With Dusty Camouflage: Big Pic
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Feb. 24, 2012 -- After 2,814 Martian days (known as "sols") exploring the Red Planet, NASA's rover Opportunity was bound to pick up some dirt. But in this amazing 360 degree self-portrait taken in December 2011, the tenacious robot has become almost perfectly camouflaged with the rusty landscape when viewed from above.
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Opportunity landed on Mars in 2004 with its sister rover Spirit. Sadly, Spirit met her demise three years ago after getting stuck in a sand trap, but Opportunity soldiers on, clocking-up over 20 miles on the odometer so far. Currently, she is exploring the large Endeavour crater, reaching it in August 2011 after an epic 3 year (13 mile) trek over the Martian landscape.
This self portrait is a testament to the engineers at NASA who have built a rover capable of not only functioning but excelling, despite its solar panels being covered by a thickening layer of dust. The dust has inevitably blocked sunlight, thereby reducing the amount of solar energy being produced. At time of writing, the solar panels are generating 274 watt-hours, compared to the 900 watt-hours the rover enjoyed at the start of the mission in 2004. Occasionally, the Martian winds clear some of the dust from Opportunity's panels, giving her a boost in energy.
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Here's a comparison between two self portraits taken in 2005 and December 2011:
Let's hope a couple of Mars dust devils give the rover a helping hand.
-- by Ian O'Neill.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/Arizona State Univ. View original high-resolution self portrait images.
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