Huge Dust Storm on Mars.

3488 · Jun 27, 2007

From Dave Mosher. Updated at 1:40 p.m. ET A major dust storm has developed on the red planet, blocking sunlight and prompting Mars mission managers to keep a close eye on it, SPACE.com has learned. It is not known how large the storm might grow, but already it is thousands of miles across. If it balloons, as dust storms have done in the past, it could hamper operations of NASA's Mars rovers. For now, officials don't think the storm will threaten rover operations, however. In fact, the windy conditions on the planet have blown off large amounts of dust from the rovers' solar arrays, giving them more power. The power boost may lend a helping hand to the Opportunity rover, should officials decide to send it into Victoria Crater. "We've been watching this storm for about six days now," said Steven Squyres of Cornell University, who is the lead scientist of the Mars Exploration Rover Project. "It's not unheard of for Martian dust storms to cover half the planet, and this one is now a regional storm." Squyres wasn't certain of the storm's size, but said it is thousands of miles in diameter and "ain't no little hurricane." In fact, "it's one of the most sunlight-blocking storms we've seen on Mars," he said. According to reports from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which Squyres deemed as Mars' weather satellite, the storm has grown in size and is lifting up dust about 560 miles east of Opportunity, which is presently at Meridiani Planum. "The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter team is watching this closely, because we worry about dust in the atmosphere obscuring the sunlight," Squyres said. Experienced amateur astronomers have spotted the storm with large telescopes. Paul Maxson of Phoenix, Arizona, was one of the first to image the storm. Dust storms on Mars occur regularly, but seldom do they grow beyond regional prop <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

MeteorWayne · Jun 27, 2007

Great catch, my friend!!! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

3488 · Jun 27, 2007

Hi anvel, Could well be. Lets wait & see. I hope very much that this will not end the MER missions. Hi MeteorWayne, Thanks for your kind comment. Yes this is an interesting development. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

dragon04 · Jun 27, 2007

How fortunate are we to be able to observe and quantify the effects of this dust storm from both the surface of Mars and also from orbit? It's almost serendipitous. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!". </div>

crazthebum · Jun 28, 2007

wow, yeah this better not cancel the mars mission with people travling to mars that threre planning in late 2008 or early 2009

JonClarke · Jun 28, 2007

Hi Andrew Where did you get the images from? They are great. I want to link them in a weekly newsletter I send out. Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars Arthur Clarke </div>

3488 · Jun 28, 2007

Hi Jon. This link goes directly to it: Mars Dust Storm. We'll see if it turns global or just fizzles out. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

JonClarke · Jun 28, 2007

Thanks! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars Arthur Clarke </div>

3488 · Jun 28, 2007

You are very welcome Jon. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

3488 · Jul 5, 2007

It is getting worse, not better <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /> 'Scary Storm' on Mars Could Doom Rovers By Dave Mosher Staff Writer posted: 05 July 2007 01:27 pm ET A giant dust storm brewing on Mars could permanently jeopardize the future of the Mars Exploration Rovers mission, officials told SPACE.com today, as the storm now covers nearly the planet's entire southern hemisphere. The new and potentially bleak outlook is a stark shift from the prognosis earlier this week. The dusty squall has reduced direct sunlight to Mars' surface by nearly 99 percent, an unprecedented threat for the solar-powered robotic explorers. If the storm keeps up and thickens with even more dust, officials fear the rovers' batteries may empty and silence the robotic explorers forever. "This is a scary storm," said Mark Lemmon, a planetary scientist at Texas A&M University and member of the rover team. "If it gets any worse, we'll enter into some uncharted territory. There's been a lot of discussion about what we're going to do if (the rovers) don't have enough power to run during the day." The storm, first reported by SPACE.com, hasn't yet reached global proportions, but the dust levels are the thickest the rovers have ever experienced. Lemmon said the conditions rival Mars' global storm of 2001 and another in 1971. "This thing has been breaking records the past few days. The sun is 100 times fainter than normal," he said. "We're hoping for a big break in the storm soon, but that's just a hope." Dusty threat The MER team would be more concerned than at present, Lemmon noted, but early in the storm's genesis, windy conditions swept off light-blocking layers of dust from Spirit and Opportunity. Caused by Martian dust devils and steady wind, the "cleaning events" doubled the rovers' power to around <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

arkady · Jul 5, 2007

Nope, was just about to start a thread about this having read todays SDC news. Was wondering about the duration of previous major dust storms. Havent found much about the one in 1971, but found following abstract on the 2001 storm. MOC observations of the 2001 Mars planet-encircling dust storm From 15 September 1997 through 21 January 2006, only a single planet-encircling martian dust storm was observed by MGS-MOC. The onset of the storm occurred on 26 June 2001 (Ls=184.7Â°), earliest recorded to date. It was initiated in the southern mid-to-low latitudes by a series of local dust storm pulses that developed along the seasonal cap edge in Malea and in Hellas basin (Ls=176.2Â°â€“184.4Â°). The initial expansion of the storm, though asymmetric, was very rapid in all directions (3â€“32 m sâˆ’1). The main direction of propagation, however, was to the east, with the storm becoming planet encircling in the southern hemisphere on Ls=192.3Â°. Several distinct centers of active dust lifting were associated with the storm, with the longest persisting for 86 sols (Syriaâ€“Claritas). These regional storms helped generate and sustain a dust cloud (â€œhazeâ€), which reached an altitude of about 60 km and a peak opacity of Ï„dust5.0. By Ls=197.0Â°, the cloud had encircled the entire planet between 59.0Â° S and 60.0Â° N, obscuring all but the largest volcanoes. The decay phase began around Ls200.4Â° with atmospheric dust concentrations returning to nominal seasonal low-levels at Ls304.0Â°. Exponential decay time constants ranged from 30â€“117 sols. The storm caused substantial regional albedo changes (darkening and brig <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "The choice is the Universe, or nothing ... " - H.G Wells </div>

nimbus · Jul 5, 2007

I guess this isn't a very smart question, but why isn't putting the rovers in hibernation a solution? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

3488 · Jul 5, 2007

Hi Nimbus. It is a smart question, not stupid at all. On the face of it, it would appear to be very sensible. Problem is, is that if they hibernate, with accumulating dust on the panels, & plumetting temperatures, they may not wake up. It is suggested that it is best to keep them active, so they do not get too cold. But that is only as good as the charge in the batteries, if the solar panels are producing nothing. That's my undertanding of the situation anyway. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

MeteorWayne · Jul 5, 2007

Yes, at those temperatures, hibernation = death. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

3488 · Jul 5, 2007

Thanks MeteorWayne. I thought what I had said was correct. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

yevaud · Jul 5, 2007

However, I'd just read somewhere that the storm appears to be weakening, and that they are actually receiving at least a modest amount of light (a lot of it scattered light, but hey!). <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Differential Diagnosis: "I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are." </div>

dragon04 · Jul 5, 2007

Yes, at those temperatures, hibernation = death. So it really becomes a risk vs. benefit issue. Do the guys at JPL consider "hibernation" a more "certain death" than trying to operate through a 90% reduction in power generation? Which is riskier considering two rovers that have already defied their projected operational lifetimes by multiple times? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!". </div>

dragon04 · Jul 5, 2007

Seeing that we have two operational rovers on Mars, I'd put one "to sleep" and let the other one "ride it out". <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!". </div>

steve70 · Jul 6, 2007

I know this won't help with the current situation, but maybe we should look into wind turbines for future manned missions. They could be a primary or just a back up for solar.

3488 · Jul 6, 2007

Mars dials for both Spirit & Opportunity. The Spirit one only has a very pale shadow & the Opportunity one, none at all. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

3488 · Jul 6, 2007

Sol 1225 MER B Opportunity. Very dark scene. Very diffuse light indeed. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

anthmartian · Jul 9, 2007

I just updated my site with this pair of images. I was inspired by rlb2's recent image post, and thought i would colour and sit two images of the same scene four days apart side by side to show a direct comparison of how things have got a lot worse at Spirits site of exploration. as usual i have the full res version of this image here... http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth Just to say finally, this could be my last post or one of the last before i go away for several weeks. I will be back, but thankyou all for making my time here so enjoyable and interesting so far. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy! Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star, or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?"Han Solo - 1977 - A long time ago in a galaxy far far away.... Click Here And jump over to my site. </div>

3488 · Jul 9, 2007

Thanks Anthmartian. I have downloaded the image from your website. Your image above clearly demostrates the sunlight reducing power of the dust. I posted the Marsdials immediatley before yours to demonstrate how diffuse the sunlight has become. We are used to seeing the deep dark shadow of the Gnommon, but unusually its gone, despite being well into the day. I hope that you have a good holiday, & look forward to seeing you again afterwards. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

arkady · Jul 10, 2007

Windpower sounds interesting, although I've never seen any concepts proposed for Martian use. If they exist I'd be happy if you could provide a link or reference. Personally I'm with Zubrin on bringing nuclear power. Atleast to get things started. The abundance principle always seemed prudent to me. Lots of power, lots of water. (forget if it was Zubrin or Spacester that came up with this, hehe) But anyways, any news from Mars about the storm? This is a hugely interesting developement with direct implications for future Mars missions, and yet I'm having trouble finding info. (not just here) <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "The choice is the Universe, or nothing ... " - H.G Wells </div>

3488 · Jul 10, 2007

I too have not found any updates, despite looking. The most upto date info was Anthmartian's excellent post & images. I wonder if wind power on Mars will actually work. Remeber, even at the Datum Line (6.1 millibars), the Martian atmosphere is the same density as Earth's atmosphere is at 30 kilometres /19 miles above sea level. Do not know if that is dense enough to turn turbines???? Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

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