Martian Dust Storm

[Staurm]

This picture seriously kicks ass.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/images/content/151990main_elec_dust_storm_lgweb.jpg

[Melkane]

I would most certainly shit myself if that was barreling down upon me.

[ChronicJoint]

is it real?

[Melkane]

I know Mars is plagued by intense sand storms, I would almost say it's real, however the lightning bolts bug me...I'm unaware if lightning bolts can be sparked in massive sand storms. There would be a lot of friction going on...perhaps?

[slipknotpsycho]

I know Mars is plagued by intense sand storms, I would almost say it's real, however the lightning bolts bug me...I'm unaware if lightning bolts can be sparked in massive sand storms. There would be a lot of friction going on...perhaps?

i'd say it's plausible... there'd have to be other factors tho... or we'd see lightning storms in the deserts that have huge sand storms too...

[Staurm]

I also wondered whether it was real, or if it was computer generated. They had to shut down the equipment whilst the storm passes as it runs on solar power, and if the power completely runs out before the storm passes there will be no way to operate it anymore because they will be unable to communicate with it. I assume the picture shown is the last taken before the storm descended upon it. That is what I heard, but I'm not entirely sure why it cannot recharge and send a signal to the tracking satellite. If anything I'd say those bolts of lightning and the dust would be more likely to damage it irreparably.

I hope it is real because it is fucking cool, I'd like to know how far away it is in that shot to get an idea of how big it is, probably about the size of a thunderstorm cloud.

[Staurm]

i'd say it's plausible... there'd have to be other factors tho... or we'd see lightning storms in the deserts that have huge sand storms too...

You have to consider also that Mars has a different atmospheric conditions than the earth. The composition of the dust might also contain traces of metals, compounds that are more likely to give rise to lightning phenomena.

I wonder what the thunder sounds like, if there is any, I bet you'd shit yourself if you heard it.

A couple of articles I pulled of the net:

Apparently these storms can grown to the size of a planet, they are seriously BIG.

"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 proportions.
A storm in 2001, however, engulfed the entire planet in red dust.

"If the storm continues to get worse, it could cut into our activities," Squyres said.
One of those activities, should the team decide it's not too risky, will be the descending of Opportunity
into the massive Victoria Crater.
A press conference is planned for Thursday to discuss the decision.

"The upshot of all this wind is that the arrays are so clean that the dust is insignificant
right now," he said. "But this is Mars, and we can't predict the weather-we can
only to react to it."

Diana Blaney, the deputy project manager for the Mars exploration rovers at JPL,
said dust levels can significantly impact the rovers' missions. "When big dust storms like
this come along, they decrease the energy the rovers can work with," Blaney said.

Guy Webster, a spokesman at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California,
said Mars mission managers will be monitoring the storm's progress and how it
may affect the planned descent into the crater. "They've really been paying attention
to the storm and been getting regular reports of its progress," Webster said.
"

---------------------------------------------------------

"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 800 watt-hours last week and boosted hopes of Opportunity's
planned descent into Victoria Crater. As the small storm gathered fury, however,
Opportunity's energy-gathering ability has been slashed to a dangerous 280 watt-hours-enough
power to light only three 90-watt light bulbs.

"The worst-case scenario is that enough dust in the sky decreases solar energy to the point
that we have to shut down too many things to save power," Lemmon said. "
The rovers keep their battery alive by keeping their electronics alive."

John Callas, project manager for the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission at NASA's
Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., explained that a dead rover battery
could allow cold temperature to maim Opportunity's electronics.

"It's like leaving your laptop out in an Antarctic winter," Callas said. "Soldered joints
in the electronics can contract due to thermal contraction. If a rover gets
too cold, something essential will fail." Callas explained the situation is unprecedented,
so the team isn't certain how much more light-blocking dust the rovers-especially
Opportunity-can take.

Fast and furious

Callas said the storm's growth was shocking.

"The rovers have weathered weaker storms in the past, which developed over the course of
weeks, but nothing like this. This thing came out of nowhere," he said.
"The dust levels just skyrocketed."

John Wilson, a planetary scientist who studies Mars' atmosphere at the
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration in Princeton New Jersey,
says the topography of Mars' southern hemisphere is probably to blame.

"The southern hemisphere, on average,
is about 4 km (2.5 miles) higher than the northern hemisphere, which helps
dust storm formation go global," Wilson said, explaining that Earth experiences
a similar storm-fueling phenomenon near India. "Tibet is high in regards to mainland
India, and so its height helps intensify the Indian monsoon," he said, by generating
windier conditions at lower elevations.

"Although the storm threatens the rovers, it's giving us a great opportunity to track
another powerful dust storm from start to finish," Wilson said. "We get to see where
a storm starts and how it grows, then enter that information into a model to help
us predict Martian weather in the future."

Callas noted that global dust storms spawn about every three Martian years
(about six Earth years), and the last to occur was about two Martian years ago-so the
current storm's potential to become a global event is on cue. If it does, Callas and his
team will only be able to cross their fingers.

"The reality of the situation is that we're limited as to what we can do from the ground
by cutting power use," Callas said. "If it continues to worsen and stay that way, it's a
survivability issue for Opportunity. If Mars wants to kill the rovers, it can.

"

[HighTillIDie]

man that would kick ass to see in person

[Gatekeeper777]

Please dont apply what is known about earth and how things work here to other planets.
They have differant laws of functionality. They are as unique as the peple on this planet.

[Melkane]

True in one sense but all things must follow the basic fundamental laws of physics.

[Staurm]

We don't know the laws of physics in a complete enough or elementary sense to say for sure that everything in the universe works the same way.

[slipknotpsycho]

Please dont apply what is known about earth and how things work here to other planets.
They have differant laws of functionality. They are as unique as the peple on this planet.

can you NOT read?


i'd say it's plausible... there'd have to be other factors tho... or we'd see lightning storms in the deserts that have huge sand storms too...

[Gatekeeper777]

can you NOT read?
know!
n eye can knot spell two!

[Staurm]

A dust storm happens on Mars, and nearly causes a flame war on an internet forum on the earth between 2 people who have never met each other, must be something to do with chaos or something LOL.