rovers shall
each acquire science data and conduct in-situ analysis for 90 sols". That would
include the time on the lander, as it did acquire science data from the Pancam and
If this is true then is the official NASA Mars Exploration Rover Mission website is incorrect about the specification. The overall mission timeline and definitions are quite clear there to define the 90 days as beginning upon completion of egress (when tires are in the dirt) and specifically NOT to include time on the lander even if they cheated with a little extra science. The first line on the official NASA website currently says:
"Surface Operations begin once the rover has completed its egress. The rovers were designed to last for 90 days of surface operations."
However, on the same official mission timeline it is somewhat inconsistent and interesting to note:
"Eventual End of Mission:
Toward the end of the surface phase for both missions, both power and telecom capabilities will be decreasing, as the Earth and the Sun become more distant from Mars, dust falls on the solar panels, the batteries lose capacity, and the Sun moves further North past the landing site latitude. Eventually, somewhere near Sol 91 it is expected that the rover will be unable to store up enough thermal or battery energy to prevent its components� overnight temperatures from falling below flight allowable levels. That will sooner or later result in failure of one or more of those components, silencing the rover forever."
Though "sooner or later" is left undefined, the dust issue with all that fine silt we are seeing is especially disheartening after reading this. Perhaps next time the lander can be fitted with a soft spring loaded mop instead of sitting there doing nothing. I'm sure there are reasons. I would highly doubt that funding to keep the cars going after all this would be at issue. That card is being played already on the Hubble and Space Shuttle, Space Station, Pluto-Kuiper Express (not even a website anymore for heaven's sake), etc. I guess NASA is going out of business. Next thing it will be MASA: Moon Administration and Strategic Arsenal. What ever happened to that good old American Ingenuity and Creativity? Something's got to give or these operations might be best suited to be outsourced to China. Or at least the battery production. I guess there isn't much research money for that either.
Best Spirits and Opportunities
Doug Dawn
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/tl_surface.html
