Quote:
Originally Posted by Qbranch
Awesome article... I love reading about robots in vogue. 
When there isn't enough sun exposure to run the insturments, will the robot just shut down and then come back online when there's enough sun again next martian year?
-q |
Well, theoretically, but in the polar regions of Mars it gets cold, really cold, and they're pretty sure the electronics will get frozen to death over the winter.
According to
this article in November they won't be able to run the heaters, which they need to protect the lander against the frigid (-85 C at night in late August!) temperatures which are only getting colder.