Dust storm on Mars threatens to disable Mars rovers

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(23 Jul 2007) SHOTLIST • Planet Mars - Recent • 1. Images from Opportunity's panoramic camera show increasing dust in the Martian sky from 15 June 2007 through 15 July 2007 (dates are on image) • NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California - Recent • 2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Richard Zurek, Mars Exploration Program Specialist: • Opportunity is hunkered down. The dust opacity is larger at that site than it is at its companion site, the Spirit. And so it's only doing the very essential things that are needed to keep the spacecraft alive. • Planet Mars - Recent • ++++IMAGE AS INCOMING++++ • 3. Dust storms observed by Mars Color Imager on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Opportunity's location is pointed out with an arrow and label • NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California - Recent • 4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Richard Zurek, Mars Exploration Program Specialist: • Today, if you're at the rover, for instance, sitting on the surface, and you're looking up at the sky, you're not going to see the sun's disc, even during the day, because the cloud, the dust haze is thick enough that the sunlight has been either absorbed or scattered. • Planet Mars - Recent • ++++IMAGE AS INCOMING++++ • 5. Animation of dust storms observed by Mars Color Imager on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter • NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California - Recent • 6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Richard Zurek, Mars Exploration Program Specialist: • Dust goes where the wind blows it. There are still active centres of dust raising on the planet. So, this storm is not going to go away any time soon, and even were those centres of dust raising to stop being active, it would take several weeks for this dust to fall out. • Planet Mars - Recent • 7. STILL of the shadow of the Opportunity Mars Rover on the surface of Mars as taken from a camera on Opportunity • NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California - Recent • 8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Richard Zurek, Mars Exploration Program Specialist: • Mars is hard. The environment can be tough. However, the whole nature of spacecraft operations is trying to deal with these unexpected events, and doing what you can to ride them through and come out on the other side and continue on with the science program that we want to get done. • Planet Mars - Recent • 9. Images from Opportunity's panoramic camera show increasing dust in the Martian sky from 15 June 2007 through 15 July 2007 (dates are on image) • STORYLINE: • Mission scientists worry that nearly a month's worth of storms could permanently damage or disable the Mars rovers exploring the Red Planet. • A series of severe Martian summer dust storms has blocked 99 percent of direct sunlight to the rover Opportunity. • Its companion, Spirit, has been affected to a lesser extent. • Both rely on solar panels to charge their batteries. • Today, if you're at the rover, for instance, sitting on the surface, and you're looking up at the sky, you're not going to see the sun's disc, even during the day because the cloud, the dust haze is thick enough that the sunlight has been either absorbed or scattered, said Richard Zurek, Mars Exploration Program Specialist. • Scientists believe the storms could continue for several days, or even weeks. • Dust goes where the wind blows it, said Richard Zurek, Mars Exploration Program Specialist. • There are still active centres of dust raising on the planet. So, this storm is not going to go away any time soon, and even were those centres of dust raising to stop being active, it would take several weeks for this dust to fall out, he added. • Mars is hard. The environment can be tough, said Zurek. • • Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork • Twitter: / ap_archive • Facebook: / aparchives • Instagram: / apnews • • • You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...

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