Did you know that Mars Exploration Rovers had solar power?

Learning about the Red Planet on Mars has been a major priority for NASA in recent decades, with several unmanned bridges being surfaced to discover as much information as possible.

Two Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, were launched in 2003 at different locations on Mars.

They were expected to last 90 days on the surface, putting data back on the Martian surface and the geology of the planet. But thanks to solar energy they will last much, much longer than expected, with Spirit remaining active until March 22, 2010, while Opportunity remained active until June 10, 2018.

The information they were able to send back to Earth at that time has been invaluable, and we have learned a lot more than we would have in just 90 days. Here are some of the main things they found:

Mars was once crushed in water: The discovery of the mineral hematite in a crack proved that there was once water, but it was salty and sour, which did not help sustain life.

Neutral water source found: Later, Spirit discovered rocks that were 10 times higher in magnesium and iron carbonates, indicating that there was neutral water in this area that could sustain life.

Unknown hot springs: When the Spirits wheel got stuck, she dug up pure silica while working to free herself. This is usually only found in hot springs or hot vents.

Underground river found: Discover the opportunity colored veins of gypsum in the rocks of the Endeavor Crater that mark an ancient underground river – these are the vines where water erupts through to the surface.

Find clay: Find an opportunity then clay minerals, formed in neutral water that may have sustained life before.

Coupled with these findings, Cothrom’s long life meant that materials from the clouds and dust were monitored and sampled. In addition there was a valuable opportunity to learn more about the impact of these materials on the solar panels, which lasted several years longer than budgeted.

Although solar power is common today, it was still a technology that emerged in 2003 but these Rovers were obsessed with the most advanced technology available. They carried two 8-amp-hour lithium batteries capable of producing 900 watt-hours of energy per Martian day.

These solar panels were very premium compared to the technology available today. Future Rovers could use even more advanced solar technology, although NASA has identified the use of other energy sources to reach areas that were not possible for the solar power options.

The next major solar changes could come from the outside, however, and some of the data the Rovers were able to recall about the impact of a bad situation on solar panels could be isolated. useful. Research has already begun to find a way to send solar panels to space, closer to the sun, where they can return energy to earth. If successful, we would have an almost endless source of power.

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