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  • How solar panels killed Mar InSight Lander

    From RichA@21:1/5 to All on Tue Dec 20 15:39:51 2022
  • From Chris L Peterson@21:1/5 to All on Wed Dec 21 08:52:55 2022
    On Tue, 20 Dec 2022 15:39:51 -0800 (PST), RichA <rander3128@gmail.com>
    wrote:

    https://petapixel.com/2022/12/20/mars-lander-transmits-final-image-after-solar-panels-are-covered-in-dust/

    The lifetime of the solar panels exceeded the design lifetime of the
    mission and of other components. A success.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From RichA@21:1/5 to Chris L Peterson on Wed Dec 21 19:10:45 2022
    On Wednesday, 21 December 2022 at 10:52:59 UTC-5, Chris L Peterson wrote:
    On Tue, 20 Dec 2022 15:39:51 -0800 (PST), RichA <rande...@gmail.com>
    wrote:

    https://petapixel.com/2022/12/20/mars-lander-transmits-final-image-after-solar-panels-are-covered-in-dust/

    The lifetime of the solar panels exceeded the design lifetime of the
    mission and of other components. A success.

    Barely. Many other probes have existed long past their planned mission lifespan, missions have been extended
    and more information obtained. If they graded it on success, it's a C not an A.
    What I find amazing is that it's clear Martian dust extends down the nano-size and even wind won't blow it away once
    it sticks to a smooth surface, you'd think they could design a coating on solar panels to help with this problem.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From StarDust@21:1/5 to RichA on Wed Dec 21 23:14:21 2022
    On Tuesday, December 20, 2022 at 3:39:52 PM UTC-8, RichA wrote:
    https://petapixel.com/2022/12/20/mars-lander-transmits-final-image-after-solar-panels-are-covered-in-dust/

    Mars storm/wind comes and blows it off!
    Big deal!
    Happened before!

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Chris L Peterson@21:1/5 to All on Thu Dec 22 07:29:59 2022
    On Wed, 21 Dec 2022 19:10:45 -0800 (PST), RichA <rander3128@gmail.com>
    wrote:

    On Wednesday, 21 December 2022 at 10:52:59 UTC-5, Chris L Peterson wrote:
    On Tue, 20 Dec 2022 15:39:51 -0800 (PST), RichA <rande...@gmail.com>
    wrote:

    https://petapixel.com/2022/12/20/mars-lander-transmits-final-image-after-solar-panels-are-covered-in-dust/

    The lifetime of the solar panels exceeded the design lifetime of the
    mission and of other components. A success.

    Barely. Many other probes have existed long past their planned mission lifespan, missions have been extended
    and more information obtained. If they graded it on success, it's a C not an A.
    What I find amazing is that it's clear Martian dust extends down the nano-size and even wind won't blow it away once
    it sticks to a smooth surface, you'd think they could design a coating on solar panels to help with this problem.

    Not barely at all. The missions was a success. Anything could have
    failed long ago. By design.

    This mission is an A+.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From RichA@21:1/5 to Chris L Peterson on Thu Dec 22 17:09:54 2022
    On Thursday, 22 December 2022 at 09:30:03 UTC-5, Chris L Peterson wrote:
    On Wed, 21 Dec 2022 19:10:45 -0800 (PST), RichA <rande...@gmail.com>
    wrote:

    On Wednesday, 21 December 2022 at 10:52:59 UTC-5, Chris L Peterson wrote:
    On Tue, 20 Dec 2022 15:39:51 -0800 (PST), RichA <rande...@gmail.com>
    wrote:

    https://petapixel.com/2022/12/20/mars-lander-transmits-final-image-after-solar-panels-are-covered-in-dust/

    The lifetime of the solar panels exceeded the design lifetime of the
    mission and of other components. A success.

    Barely. Many other probes have existed long past their planned mission lifespan, missions have been extended
    and more information obtained. If they graded it on success, it's a C not an A.
    What I find amazing is that it's clear Martian dust extends down the nano-size and even wind won't blow it away once
    it sticks to a smooth surface, you'd think they could design a coating on solar panels to help with this problem.
    Not barely at all. The missions was a success. Anything could have
    failed long ago. By design.

    This mission is an A+.

    Not really. But you "participation trophy" types would think it was a great success.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From palsing@21:1/5 to RichA on Thu Dec 22 18:58:59 2022
    On Thursday, December 22, 2022 at 5:09:56 PM UTC-8, RichA wrote:
    On Thursday, 22 December 2022 at 09:30:03 UTC-5, Chris L Peterson wrote:
    On Wed, 21 Dec 2022 19:10:45 -0800 (PST), RichA <rande...@gmail.com>
    wrote:

    On Wednesday, 21 December 2022 at 10:52:59 UTC-5, Chris L Peterson wrote: >> On Tue, 20 Dec 2022 15:39:51 -0800 (PST), RichA <rande...@gmail.com>
    wrote:

    https://petapixel.com/2022/12/20/mars-lander-transmits-final-image-after-solar-panels-are-covered-in-dust/

    The lifetime of the solar panels exceeded the design lifetime of the
    mission and of other components. A success.

    Barely. Many other probes have existed long past their planned mission lifespan, missions have been extended
    and more information obtained. If they graded it on success, it's a C not an A.
    What I find amazing is that it's clear Martian dust extends down the nano-size and even wind won't blow it away once
    it sticks to a smooth surface, you'd think they could design a coating on solar panels to help with this problem.
    Not barely at all. The missions was a success. Anything could have
    failed long ago. By design.

    This mission is an A+.

    Not really. But you "participation trophy" types would think it was a great success.

    This mission was definitely considered to be a success, and here is a list of its accomplishments...

    https://techcrunch.com/2022/12/20/nasas-insight-mission-is-winding-down-look-back-at-the-mars-landers-many-accomplishments/

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Quadibloc@21:1/5 to Chris L Peterson on Thu Dec 22 19:36:18 2022
    On Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 8:52:59 AM UTC-7, Chris L Peterson wrote:

    The lifetime of the solar panels exceeded the design lifetime of the
    mission and of other components. A success.

    NASA has had a number of missions that exceeded expectations, in terms
    of the lifetime of the space probe or lander involved.

    A radio-thermal energy source would be immune to dust collection, but then
    a Martian windstorm could blow the dust off the solar panels - and a radio-thermal
    battery has a definite lifetime, while solar panels could be forever.

    Even if his one-note advocacy of avoiding solar panels can be disregarded, I
    do think that NASA should be trying to design probes so that they can take advantage of good fortune - if the lifetime of unpredictable components
    exceeds expectations, there isn't some predictable factor that will limit the probe's lifetime so as to avoid taking full advantage of a lifetime that could exceed the designed minimum several times over.

    John Savard

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Chris L Peterson@21:1/5 to jsavard@ecn.ab.ca on Fri Dec 23 07:06:14 2022
    On Thu, 22 Dec 2022 19:36:18 -0800 (PST), Quadibloc
    <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:

    On Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 8:52:59 AM UTC-7, Chris L Peterson wrote:

    The lifetime of the solar panels exceeded the design lifetime of the
    mission and of other components. A success.

    NASA has had a number of missions that exceeded expectations, in terms
    of the lifetime of the space probe or lander involved.

    A radio-thermal energy source would be immune to dust collection, but then
    a Martian windstorm could blow the dust off the solar panels - and a radio-thermal
    battery has a definite lifetime, while solar panels could be forever.

    Even if his one-note advocacy of avoiding solar panels can be disregarded, I >do think that NASA should be trying to design probes so that they can take >advantage of good fortune - if the lifetime of unpredictable components >exceeds expectations, there isn't some predictable factor that will limit the >probe's lifetime so as to avoid taking full advantage of a lifetime that could >exceed the designed minimum several times over.

    John Savard

    But using that energy source would have created its own problems. It
    would have increased the cost of the mission, which means something
    else would have had to go. It would have required more batteries,
    which themselves are a weak point (the batteries on the existing probe
    are also failing... not just the panels that charge them). Something
    always gives. You don't design a mission to take advantage of luck if
    that ends up costing more money.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)