Can solar power be used on Mars?

Following the successful use of solar power on the Mars Pathfinder mission, in which both the lander and the rover used GaAs solar cells for primary power, the Mars Exploration Rovers, “Spirit” and “Opportunity,” demonstrated the first use of triple-junction GaInP/GaAs/Ge solar cells on the surface of Mars.

How does Mars affect solar power?

Mars presents a number of challenges for solar power system operation, including a dusty atmosphere which modifies the spectrum and intensity of the incident solar illumination as a function of time of day, degradation of the array performance by dust deposition, and low temperature operation.

Does Mars have a solar array?

We summarized the challenges represented by the surface of Mars to solar array operation, and presented a preliminary solar array design for a notional rover undertaking a 90-sol Mars polar surface mission in the 2008 timeframe.

Can solar arrays be used for Mars missions?

For many proposed Mars missions, the performance of the solar arrays presents the main operational constraint on the allowed latitude of the landing site, on the amount of power available for science operations, and on how long during each day the scientific instruments can operate.

Where is the highest energy found on Mars?

However, because this dust is primarily forward scattering (e.g. Tomasko et al., 1999), the highest energy is calculated in places and in seasons when the sun is located high overhead, namely southern hemisphere summer. This occurs even though southern hemisphere summer is the dustiest time and place of the year on Mars.

Why does solar insolation decrease during Mars Polar Scout mission?

Even though the exoatmospheric insolation increases through the mission (Mars is moving toward the Sun), the surface insolation falls since the local solar zenith increases (Sun is closer to local horizon) and greater attenuation of sunlight occurs. Figure 9.—Mars Polar Scout Mission Study, Solar Insolation.