The twin rovers’ operations on Mars are being affected by a powerful dust storm according to mission scientists. This storm had an unexpected effect as it partially blocked the sun and Spirit and Opportunity (the two rovers) have solar panels. Sunlight is crucial for charging their batteries. The good news is that these robots can operate at low power levels so there is no real danger of failure until now. John Callas, project manager of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory declared:

“The storm is affecting both rovers and reducing the power levels on Opportunity.”

Opportunity was the most affected as its solar array energy dropped to 402 watt-hours as compared to the previous 765 watt-hours. Because of this the rover’s descent into Victoria Crater was postponed again so there is still delay in the operation trying to find out more about the planet’s geological past. The next date scheduled for the operation is July 13.

The two rovers landed on the opposite side of Mars in 2004 and this dust storm is the worst one to hit them since that day. Scientists think it will last one more week and the rover that is most affected is Opportunity as he is right in the middle of the storm. Data shows that the worst could be over as the peak seems to have passed.