Submitted by marketrent t3_yfa5pz in space
Nidungr t1_iu3o10k wrote
Reply to comment by grim-one in NASA spacecraft records epic ‘marsquakes’ as it prepares to die by marketrent
The problem isn't the hardness of the brush, but the dust. It is harder than any sufficiently lightweight material we could make solar panels out of.
Apparently brushing off the dust would just replace opaque dust with opaque scratches, if the panel isn't already sandblasted to hell to begin with.
Edit: The dust is electrostatically charged and clings to surfaces, so you can't easily tip/blow it off.
WimpyRanger t1_iu3xhlo wrote
If it’s electrostatically charged, then you could induce a new charge to eject the dust, yah?
tea-man t1_iu40jsk wrote
If I'm not mistaken, this is exactly what's beginning to happen with some of the more advanced solar power projects. Though it is very new technology requiring precise control of the electric fields in individual layers of the cells, so it's still a few years away from large scale adoption.
I suspect that any solar powered rovers that began their initial design in the past year or so may adopt this if it's proven successful.
plzsendnewtz t1_iu41ndf wrote
Rotate the shield harmonics! Aye, Captain!
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