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A comment on ‘My power’s low’: NASA’s Insight Mars lander prepares to sign off. Parent comment

Re:‘My power’s low’: NASA’s Insight Mars lander prepares to ... by hawski on Wednesday December 21, 2022 @08:35AM (#34080509)
I am sure it comes down to economics really, but I do wonder now about a mission in far future, that would clean solar panels of all those older missions to make them work again. For shits and giggles I guess.
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Re:‘My power’s low’: NASA’s Insight Mars lander prepares to ... by danw1979 on Wednesday December 21, 2022 @08:39AM (#34080554)
Like a long range Ingenuity helicopter that cruised the planet using its downwash to revive old rovers ?
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Re:‘My power’s low’: NASA’s Insight Mars lander prepares to ... by phpnode on Wednesday December 21, 2022 @08:51AM (#34080706)
This idea gets brought up in every thread about Insight's dust issues - there is not enough air pressure on Mars for the downwash to clean the panels. For Ingenuity specifically the problem is that it is also far too far away - it would take over ten years for the chopper to reach Insight.
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Re:‘My power’s low’: NASA’s Insight Mars lander prepares to ... by dwringer on Wednesday December 21, 2022 @09:05AM (#34080873)
After a few months I can't even blow all the dust off surfaces in my apartment. I can only imagine years outside on Mars.
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Re:‘My power’s low’: NASA’s Insight Mars lander prepares to ... by timdiggerm on Wednesday December 21, 2022 @09:23AM (#34081073)
Don't underestimate the size of a planet
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Re:‘My power’s low’: NASA’s Insight Mars lander prepares to ... by bluGill on Wednesday December 21, 2022 @09:09AM (#34080915)
It might be fun to try, but realistically, without heat, thermo issues will ensure that even if you did this the rovers wouldn't work anymore.
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Re:‘My power’s low’: NASA’s Insight Mars lander prepares to ... by phone8675309 on Wednesday December 21, 2022 @09:30AM (#34081150)
IIRC this was a plot point in The Martian
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Re:‘My power’s low’: NASA’s Insight Mars lander prepares to ... by hawski on Wednesday December 21, 2022 @09:53AM (#34081431)
Oh, yes indeed. I forgot about that.
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