Here is the story of how Martian dust devil rescued the Rover missions.

Here is a typical Martian dust devil in action,


Below is a few link to video clip of these in action,
http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/gallery/press/s.../20050506a.html

http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/gallery/press/s.../20050421a.html

http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/gallery/press/s.../20050708a.html

http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/gallery/press/s.../20050819a.html

On January 3rd of 2005, the power level on the Rover Spirit was dropping low due to the layer of dust on the solar panel.


Compare the above images taken of the sun dial on Sol 9 versus sol 357.


Then a few day later on Sol 426 the Spirit regained a substantial amount of its power from the solar panels.
Compare the images of the sundial on Sol 416 versus 426,


Amazingly the sun dial is now free of dust only 10 days later.


NASA attributed this cleaning of the dust on solar panel to Martian dust devils. And the evidence of this can be found on images taken between these 2 dates as Spirit photographed number of dust devils.

But something is a little wrong here. I will discus that in later post.

Rohn

I will be breathless with anticipation.

And what would that be, Rohn?
There are lots of dust devils on Mars. It would be no mystery for one to hit the rover as it did.

K-rex.....mind if I join you?......

SD.....I agree.....Mars is just a windy place.....how else would there be all the sand dunes and all the other wind erosion/deposits in rohns pics.

Spirits solar panels were covered in a dust by winds.....and they were cleared by other winds.... ......it sure doesn't seem like a mystery to me either......but I'd love to see rohn explain something or answer a question

uhh... would'nt a dust devil make it dirtier? xD

i think one of these guys cleaned it off (see attachment)

lol, yes you already know dont you?



This post has been edited by vyrtigo: Sep 16 2008, 06:28 PM

vyrtigo....LOL.....the little rock dude didn't do it....he's pointing to the local spirit wash....

i used to work for a GEC company doing metal finishing,it included everything from electro plating,acid polishing etc.It looks exactly like it has been sandblasted,a great way to clean up metal before plating.for a more polished effect you can use glass bead,but don't put your fingers on the metal afterwards your fingerprints will show and turn black especially on copper.

macdaddy.....sand blasting maybe a bit severe.......but if you look at the pic that was originally posted...you'll see 3 wind wind erosional/depositional features.....Mars is just a windy place.....

Finally little time to devote to this forum.

Below is a photo of a the Spirit's solar panel. Observe the low gain antenna and the mounting plate. They are covered in dust as of martin day, sol 1140.


These photo are from our personal files. Courtesy of Pegasus.

And then this photo of the solar panel was taken by Spirit on Sol 1229. That is 89 days later.



First things you would notice is the amazing capabilities of the dust devil.
Second, you will notice it selecting cleaning process.

If if you accept the first explanantion, how do you explain its selectivity. Take look at low gain antenna and the mounting plate (red and white arrows). They are shiny, almost like band new. And then look at the solar cells (blue circle). Martian dust devils several meters wide seems to have blown the dust off the antenna and mount but left the dust of the solar cell and in between solar cell wiring only few inches away.

Take a look at this photo also taken on sol 1229,



Amazingly the actuator and the bolt seems to free of dust while there is layer of dust all around.


Rohn

If you think that is amazing look at this photo. Tell what is wrong this this photo.


NOTE: This is NOT collage of two images joined together but rather one image. You are looking at 2 different panels.

Rohn

rohn....you do realize these pics are not of the same structure....so comparing them is not valid.... ....and since we have not seen it before we can't use it for a comparison.

This post has been edited by Castle-Bravo354: Sep 19 2008, 05:31 PM

Are you stating that these 2 pic are NOT of the same "structure"?

Taken Sol 1140


and this taken on sol 1229,


Rohn

The above 2 pic is of the rover Spirit. They both show the low gain antenna, its mounting plate and you can even seen the actuator in the 2nd pic in the up right corner.

Rohn

rohn......no these two as I showed before are not of the same part of the spirit rover...and therefore are not valid for comparison.....and the lower of the two in my post...(I got it from you remember)....there is no before pic....so it is valid for a comparison either......do let me know if this is not clear again....

rohn...these two pics appear to be the same thing.....but then they are not the same two I was referring too....

I was comparing these 2 photo 89 martin days apart.




And then I used these 2 photos to further illustrate my point on selecting cleaning process of the dust devils,




I hope we I cleared any confusion I have might have caused.

The last photo is what I think as the "smoking gun".

Rohn

rohn.....yes I think the confusion has been cleared...(I was pretty clear anyway).....but is it possible to compare the same views.....and not ones that are just close?...(ie..showing a few similar parts).......because none of them are of the exact same angle/view......that is quite obvious.....

Rohnds: several points I'd like to make from a scientific standpoint. I'm having trouble breaking it down, so let me put this in the easiest language I can: it won't be accurate, strictly speaking, but I hope it will make some kind of sense.

Here goes:
Think of environmental variables as on-off switches. Variable is present = one. Not present = off. Degree of variability is a factor, so let's assume it's one of those twisty-turny dimmer-switches. Now, we may not be able to track each of the variables. The number is vast. Needless to say, there is a reason why the wind moves the way it does, and if we had the capability of measuring the variables involved: it would theoretically be possible to track wind movements accurately.

Point 1: Wind is not magical. It behaves in an observable and measurable way according to certain conditions and variables.

Now even if we're talking about a cyclonic dust-devil or a hurricane: the wind moves in a way that would be accurately predictable if we could assess the variables.

Wait, I'm getting there.

For example: cyclones spin a certain way. A cyclone spinning clockwise, for example, will not suddenly spin counter-clockwise. With me so far?

Therefore, variables in the path of the cyclone will interact with it in a predictable and measurable way.

Now, air currents (wind, whatever), has the potential to pick up sediment and deposit sediment. Think of it like a popcorn popper or one of those ping-pong air-compressors they use for picking lotto numbers. As sediments bounce off one another, lighter sediments are carried up, heavier sediments are carried down, and this movement is highly affected by environmental conditions acting on and interacting with the air currents, meaning sometimes light particles are deposited and heavier particles are carried up. Again, it appears chaotic, but it isn't. There's a reason.

Now, again, variables (such an object, vehicle, etc.) in the path of an air current or cyclone will interact with it in a predictable and measurable way.

For example: if the air current is moving east-west, then this will affect sediment pick-up and deposit accordingly.

Point 2: distribution of sediment affectation on objects in the path of the air current will not be uniform, because the air current will have a greater affect on one side than on the other. I park my truck on the beach, in the path of an east-west air current, and at the end of the day, the east side of the truck will be dirtier than the west side. Ever notice how your windows are always dirtier on one side of the house?

Now, as well, sediments move across a surface according to their interaction with that surface. In other words, sediments will move across some surfaces more easily than others. Ever notice how much easier it is to clean dirt off of a linoleum-topped table than it is to clean dirt off of a rug?

Point 3: sediment pick-up and deposit are affected by surfaces.

So my point here is that we are looking at different surfaces, with different coefficients of frictions on sedimentary scales, meaning that if I were to blow a blast of air, some surfaces would be cleaned of sediment, and others would not. Likewise, we are looking at differently located surfaces, which likewise has an effect on sediment distribution. See my truck analogy.

I don't think it means anything special. You're reading more into this than what is there.

You could clear up most of the confusion by posting the links to the original source photos and not just saying and i quote...





Ok Rhonds what exactly are you tring to get at.? what do you think happened.? how do you think it got cleaned.???