Re: OT Mars

hg wrote:
"robert casey" <wa2ise@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:1Ztpi.11418$Od7.7891@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Brian Gaff wrote:

You know, if the rovers had not lasted as long as they have, the dust storm impact on solar cell power would not have been known
yet. I also wonder whether its due to dust actually laying on the cells, or the atmospheric loading?
Taking test images of the sky, during the day, and also at night (the camera can see stars, and we know how bright they should be)
would tell us that. However, right now the rovers are on a very tight energy budget, and they probably can't afford the power for
this. Also the camera lenses are probably pointed downwards to keep dust off the lenses.
If the former, maybe any future habitat modules sent for humans which use solar power might need cell cleaning systems
installed.


A more serious problem is that dust getting tracked inside the living quarters, on your spaceboots and spacesuits. That dust is
surely bad for lungs. We don't have this sort of dust on Earth, as water keeps it wet down. The dust and regoluth on the Moon
wasn't friendly to the astronauts' lungs (they tracked it inside the LM after the moonwalks, and they ended up coughing and
whatnot, and that was just a brief exposure). Similar to silicosis.


Yup, dust on Mars is worse than lunar dust as it's even smaller. Somebody described it as fine as talcum powder.


Lunar dust is potentially much worse than Martian dust from an
engineering/operational perspective - without erosion, it's generally
going to be rougher and more abrasive, despite the larger sized particles.

--
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Fear leads to anger...
Anger leads to hate...
Hate leads to banjos...
Banjos lead to suffering!
.

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