Mystery Martian 'Carwash' Helps Space Buggy

Reuters ^ | 12.21.04

[anymouse]

An unexplained phenomenon akin to a space-borne car wash has boosted the performance of one of the two U.S. rovers probing the surface of Mars, New Scientist magazine said on Tuesday.

It said something -- or someone -- had regularly cleaned layers of dust from the solar panels of the Mars Opportunity vehicle while it was closed down during the Martian night.

The cleaning had boosted the panels' power output close to their maximum 900 watt-hours per day after at one stage dropping to 500 watt-hours because of the heavy Martian dirt.

By contrast, the power output of the solar panels of Mars Spirit -- on a different part of the Red Planet -- had dropped to just 400 watt-hours a day, clogged by the heavy dust.

"These exciting and unexplained cleaning events have kept Opportunity in really great shape," the magazine quoted NASA rover team leader Jim Erickson as saying.

[OldFriend]

You mean a former squeegie guy from NYC is not up there cleaning up the space vehicle?

[sticker]

Did someone say cleaning?

[FreePaul]

It said something -- or someone --

I knew that those rovers were too good to be true. Now we know that they sent someone up there along with the rovers to keep them running. You can never trust a government operation.

[sticker]

[Samurai_Jack]

[Strategerist]

Every report/article/press release must alude, hint, speculate, or declare life on Mars, this is the fundamental mission. If I recall just minutes after the toy landed they were announcing water on Mars (and we all know that if you have a cup of water you can easilly make life spring from it, they've already done the legwork on that notion)

NASA has been quite clear on the mission being solely to find evidence of liquid water; there are in fact NO instruments on either rover designed to find evidence of life.

Funny you should call one of the greatest accomplishments of the human race a "toy."

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks for the ping! Lot's of mysterious stuff in Space... LA Times has this one in the Front Page Column One this morning:

Gravity May Lose its Pull

[RightWhale]

They had commented on the improvement in available power a couple of months ago. Got to wonder if something is giving it the taste test before dragging it back to the den and the cubs.

[Pyro7480]

[lunarville]

[Hatteras]

(tap, tap, tap...) Is this thing on?!

[gitmo]

I recall some planet somewhere that had these beings that would run out and clean windshields when the vehicle ran over a dinger.

[RightWhale]

2122 GMT (4:22 p.m. EST) The Boeing launch team has been polled for a "go" to resume the countdown. All systems were reported ready for liftoff! Launch is now 9 minutes away.

Is that today, right now?

The comet impactor has also been launched.

[RightWhale]

2127 GMT (4:27 p.m. EST)

There is no estimate on the duration of this additional delayed. Boeing has until 5:31 p.m. EST (2232 GMT) to get the Delta 4-Heavy rocket off the pad today.

2125 GMT (4:25 p.m. EST)

The countdown will remain holding at T-minus 5 minutes due to an alarm. Engineers need to check the situation before clocks can resume ticking. Liftoff will be delayed pasted 4:31 p.m. EST.

[SpottedBeaver]

Not sure, but I think it's based on a short story, "Can we remember it for you, wholesale?" by Philip K. Dick.

Correct. Philip K. Dick is also known for several other stories made into movies. Two of which are Bladerunner and Minority Report.

[RightWhale]

2128 GMT (4:28 p.m. EST)

The problem involves a momentary loss of signal for Range Safety equipment. Officials want to understand that problem before proceeding with the launch today.

[RightWhale]

2135 GMT (4:35 p.m. EST)

NEW TIME! Liftoff has been rescheduled for 4:50 p.m. EST.

[JoeV1]

I just talked to a guy at the MUFON convention last week whose uncles, cousin in laws, brothers, ex-college roommates long lost adopted sons biological father installed the new zero-point gravity flux capacitor 2.0 into the helicopters out at area-51.

I guess you forgot about the transverse phase induction reducer that transmogrifies the phillalial cemtex re combiners for the final out phasing of the influx routine.

He seemed legit except for a democraticunderground.com t-shirt./sarcasm

He's fine. He's my 3rd cousin on my fathers Uncles side.

[Pyro7480]

It's right now. Thanks for the neat link. Do you where they might have streaming live video?