Opportunity After the Storm
Explanation:
On Mars
dust storms can't actually blow spacecraft over,
but they can blot out the Sun.
Over three months
ago a planet-wide dust storm caused
a severe lack of sunlight for the Mars rover Opportunity
at its location near the west rim of Endeavor crater.
The lack of sunlight sent the solar-powered Opportunity into
hibernation and for
over 115 sols
controllers have not
received any communication from the rover.
The dust is clearing
as the storm subsides though.
On September 20th, when this image was taken by the
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE camera, about 25 percent of
the sunlight was reaching the surface again.
The white box marks a 47-meter-wide (154-foot-wide) area centered on a
blip identified as the
silent-for-now
Opportunity rover.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
