NASA’s nuclear-powered Mars rover took an amazing selfie during an intense global dust storm
NASA’s Opportunity rover, which runs on solar power, went into safe mode because the sky is so dark, but the nuclear-powered Curiosity rover can still see and took selfie photos
A nasty dust storm is wrapping around Mars, and visibility in some regions is so poor that the skies look like night during the middle of the day.
It’s a dire moment for NASA’s Opportunity rover, which uses solar power to explore the red planet. The 15-year-old rover fell asleep on June 10 to conserve power in hopes of waiting out the storm until sunlight can reach its panels.
Scientists think the storm may last weeks. If Opportunity’s energy reserves run too low to keep its ageing electronic circuits warm, blisteringly cold Martian temperatures could disable them.
But halfway around the planet, dust storm conditions aren’t as dangerous for Curiosity — a car-size, nuclear-powered rover that NASA landed on Mars in 2012. Curiosity uses plutonium-238 instead of solar cells to power its exploration of the red planet, so the darkness isn’t a problem either.
In fact, Curiosity photographed itself on Friday during the dust storm.