Have ultrasonic vibrations combined with pulsed jets of high pressure gas directed at the solar panel surface been considered as a solution?
Or perhaps ionic repulsion of the dust particles, which, are surely charged. It seems to me that the advantages of successfully designing and implementing a system to clear the panels, and thus extend the life of the mission has tremendous payoffs. It also seems to me that such a design would not be unfeasible. Please discuss this issue. Thanks! Thomas Clardy Answer: Hello Thomas, Excellent question. We have looked for ways to extend the life of the Mars surface missions by finding ways to clean the solar arrays. There are various factors which we have to consider when designing a spacecraft. We have to look at how much money we have to operate the mission, we have to look at the cost of such a cleaner on the mass of the spacecraft, the power demand of the cleaner, noise generated by the cleaner, and on the lifespace of other components on the spacecraft. As you can see it is not a simple issue. Maybe one day you can join us and help us come up with a solution. Keep studying and be sur
