A regional dust storm is currently sweeping across Mars. But is not a major concern for the three landers approaching the red planet, even if it were to grow into a global storm, scientists have told 快猫短视频.
Joy Crisp, mission scientist for NASA鈥檚 two Mars rovers, says the storm is unseasonal. Dust storms usually occur from spring to early summer, but it is now late summer to early autumn in Mars鈥� southern hemisphere. They also usually die out within a week. 鈥淲e鈥檙e probably going to be okay,鈥� says Crisp, at NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
In the unlikely event that a globe-circling storm does develop, it would have virtually no effect on the atmospheric entry and landing of the spacecraft, she says. Bruce Jakosky, a Mars specialist at the University of Colorado who helped select the landing sites agrees: 鈥淭he spacecraft wouldn鈥檛 even see the dust.鈥�
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Plentiful dust would cause the planet鈥檚 atmosphere to be heated and expanded, but such a change can be accounted for in the last-minute adjustments that will be made to the crafts鈥� approach. Once they are on the surface, Crisp says, NASA鈥檚 twin craft are 鈥渄esigned to be able to hunker down鈥� and just wait for a storm to blow over. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a big deal鈥�.
Mission length
However, Crisp adds that a global storm would lead to some 鈥渃oncerns about it reducing the length of our mission鈥�, because of dust degrading or coating the rovers鈥� solar cells. These provide the only source of power for their treks of up to 100 metres a day.
The dust storm was first noticed by amateur astronomer Don Parker of Florida, even though two high-powered imaging spacecraft currently orbit the red planet. The observation was first reported by the International Astronomical Union center on Sunday.
The storm was 3000 by 1800 kilometres in extent and covered most of Chryse Planitia, the northern plain where Viking 1 landed in 1976. A secondary system was seen near the great basin of Argyre.
On Tuesday, images from one of the orbiting spacecraft, Mars Global Surveyor, were released showing the storm鈥檚 progression.
Each of the NASA鈥檚 rovers is designed for a 90-day mission. The first, Spirit, is due to land on 3 January with Opportunity touching down on 24 January. The British lander Beagle 2, part of the European Space Agency鈥檚 Mars Express mission, is due to land on 25 December.