Solar array model corrections from Mars Pathfinder Lander data

Ewell, Richard; Burger, Dale R.

doi:10.1109/pvsc.1997.654262

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…In fact, dust accumulation could reduce the scope of rover mobility and science operations and could potentially shorten the mission. We expect dust accumulation to be a power issue because, during the Pathfinder mission, the slow decrease in efficiency of power generation was coupled with deposition of aeolian dust on the solar power arrays [ Landis and Jenkins , 1997, 2000; Ewell and Burger , 1997]. Accumulation of dust will also change the spectral properties of the Mini‐TES and Pancam calibration targets and thus change the method by which these instruments undergo in‐flight radiometric calibration.…”

Section: Rover Deck Dust Accumulation and Dispersal Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical properties and localization investigations associated with the 2003 Mars Exploration rovers

Arvidson¹,

Anderson

Haldemann

et al. 2003

J.‐Geophys.‐Res.

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A number of physical properties experiments will be conducted during the NASA 2003 Mars Exploration Rover Mission as the two vehicles explore Meridiani Planum and the floor of Gusev Crater. The investigations will include quantifying dust accumulation and dispersal dynamics by periodically monitoring the rover decks with the Athena Pancam and Mini‐TES instruments. Properties of soil‐like materials will be inferred from analyses of wheel track patterns, depths, and wheel slippage dynamics during traverses. The rovers will be modeled as dynamic mechanical systems to extract along‐track terrain topography and physical properties from times series of rover tilt vectors, wheel encoder counts, azimuths, motor currents, and rocker and bogie angles. Trenches will be excavated using rover wheels to characterize mechanical properties of soil‐like materials with depth and to expose subsurface materials for remote and in situ observations using the Athena Payload. The Rock Abrasion Tools will be used to expose rock subsurfaces for detailed analyses. Motor currents and penetration magnitudes will be compared to a database of rocks excavated by an engineering model of the Rock Abrasion Tool to understand Martian rock mechanical properties. Image‐based localization analyses will be pursued to better understand rover traverse directions and magnitudes and thus rover locations as a function of time. The physical properties and localization investigations, when combined with analyses of the full ensemble of Athena observations, will greatly improve our understanding of Martian surface properties and provide significant technology lessons for future landed missions.

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Section: Rover Deck Dust Accumulation and Dispersal Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical properties and localization investigations associated with the 2003 Mars Exploration rovers

Arvidson¹,

Anderson

Haldemann

et al. 2003

J.‐Geophys.‐Res.

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“…This spectrum changes with the amount of dust in the atmosphere, as well as with the change in air mass due to time of day and season [1,2]. In order to design solar arrays for the Martian surface [3], and to predict the performance during operation [4], it is desirable to measure the solar spectrum on the surface, and calculate how this affects solar cell performance…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Solar Spectrum on the Martian Surface and its Effect on Photovoltaic Performance

Landis

Hyatt²

2006

2006 IEEE 4th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conference

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Solar cells operating on the surface of Mars receive a spectrum of illumination different from the AM0 spectrum, since the sunlight is filtered by dust suspended in the atmosphere. This spectrum changes with the amount of dust in the atmosphere, as well as with air mass change due to time of day and season. This spectral variation affects the performance of solar cells. We used data from Mars Exploration Rovers to measure this spectrum. By comparing the measured intensity with the known reflectance of the pancam calibration target on the rovers Spirit and Opportunity, we measure the solar spectrum reaching the surface. The effect of this spectrum on the performance of solar cells is then calculated based on the spectral response of several different solar cell types.

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