How durable are the robots on Mars to a Mars sandstorm? How long will they last during one?
From: Merita Bushi at Bateman School Answer: The rovers are projected to last for quite some time. The nomimal mission duration for each rover is 90 days, although operations may even last significantly longer than that, as was the case with the Mars Sojourner rover. The two landing sites that have been selected, Meridiani and Gusev, were selected in large part due to the relatively benign wind conditions. The major problem is that events like sandstorms will pose for the rovers is the dust that they kick up that settles on the solar panels. Excessive dust build up will tend to diminish the power available to run the rover during daytime operations, which is when all driving and most science activities take place. The rover engineering team will constantly monitor the rate of dust buildup on the solar panels of each rover and send up corrective action sequences to shake off dust as often as is required to maintain adequate power for operations.
