re: Crisis On Mars: Cataclysmic Duststorm Threatens To Kill 15-Year-Old Opportunity

the solar power cells dont recharge batteries if sun is blocked from getting to it, and when they get covered in dust, they wont be able to recharge the batteries later after it clears up, unless another storm blows the dust off them later on

I was thinking the same thing, what opportunity is wasted?

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the solar power cells dont recharge batteries if sun is blocked from getting to it, and when they get covered in dust, they wont be able to recharge the batteries later after it clears up, unless another storm blows the dust off them later on

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That's one problem, but the biggest problem seems to be that the storm will be very long in duration, and the robot will not be able to power itself (and, thus, warm itself) in the Martian cold. The dust will actually provide some insulation against cold, but the frigid temperatures are still expected to exceed what the rover's electronics were built to withstand.