NASA probe removes Martian dust from solar panels

The Mars probe InSight uses wind energy to remove dust from solar panels. On May 22, the 884th day of its mission, the probe used its robotic arm to drip sand next to the solar panel at lunchtime—the windiest time on Mars—so that winds blow sand over the panel and sand sticks to sand grains of sand detaching itself from the panels.

In this way, the probe was able to generate about 30 watt-hours of energy for each Martian day. The Red Planet will soon reach its farthest point from the Sun, which means less sunlight and therefore less energy. This method allows InSight to continue to work and collect valuable data.

Brushes and fans

Equipping the probe with brushes or propellers may affect the weight of the probe. In addition, moving components are more prone to errors, As reported by NASA. The fact that the Mars helicopter is a creativity, for example, blowing sand away when ascending is also not an option, especially since such an experiment is very risky and the helicopter is about 3,450 kilometers from InSight.

In any case, scientists are happy with this approach. InSight is set to use the same method to remove dust from solar panels again on June 5th.

on the NASA website You can watch a video of InSight cleaning its boards.