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grim-one t1_iu3hvuu wrote

Reply to comment by gribblefrit in NASA spacecraft records epic ‘marsquakes’ as it prepares to die by marketrent

OK, OK... We'll spring for a soft brush for the delicate panels :P

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Nidungr t1_iu3o10k wrote

The problem isn't the hardness of the brush, but the dust. It is harder than any sufficiently lightweight material we could make solar panels out of.

Apparently brushing off the dust would just replace opaque dust with opaque scratches, if the panel isn't already sandblasted to hell to begin with.

Edit: The dust is electrostatically charged and clings to surfaces, so you can't easily tip/blow it off.

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WimpyRanger t1_iu3xhlo wrote

If it’s electrostatically charged, then you could induce a new charge to eject the dust, yah?

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tea-man t1_iu40jsk wrote

If I'm not mistaken, this is exactly what's beginning to happen with some of the more advanced solar power projects. Though it is very new technology requiring precise control of the electric fields in individual layers of the cells, so it's still a few years away from large scale adoption.
I suspect that any solar powered rovers that began their initial design in the past year or so may adopt this if it's proven successful.

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plzsendnewtz t1_iu41ndf wrote

Rotate the shield harmonics! Aye, Captain!

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enderjaca t1_iu46cj2 wrote

Reverse the polarity in the deflector array by negative 5! I cannae captain, it won't respond!

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alex_sz t1_iu3o6j6 wrote

A directed blow of air would do nicely I imagine

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Dsiee t1_iu3tk99 wrote

Not much air on mars, sorta why the wind isn't the best at cleaning. Also the dust is actually somewhat stuck as it has a static charge.

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dangly_bits t1_iu3smgi wrote

I would imagine the required air pump would not only use far more energy than the rover has on tap and would likely be one of the first fail points.

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colt_420 t1_iu4wbdk wrote

What if it just runs constantly like an air hockey table (Half joking half not mostly just wanted to be another random Reddit or with useless ideas here) Hi everyone :)

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