Nasa’s Robots Take a Communication Break
Nasa has temporarily stopped communication with their fleet of robotic explorers on Mars, as Earth and Mars are currently on opposite sides of the Sun. The interruption in communication, known as the “Mars solar conjunction,” is a standard occurrence that happens every two years due to the Sun blocking signals between the two planets.
The cut-off in communication, which falls between 11 November and 25 November this year, affects Nasa’s “Perseverance and Curiosity rovers,” the “Ingenuity Mars Helicopter,” and a series of orbiters called the “Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter,” the “Odyssey,” and the “MAVEN.”
During this period, Nasa sends a to-do list to the robots, instructing them to monitor changes in surface conditions, weather, and radiation. The robots are also tasked with providing health check updates to Nasa, but there will be a two-day period of complete silence when Mars is fully behind the disk of the Sun.
The reason for the communication hiatus is the potential for corrupt radio signals caused by the hot, ionized gas expelled from the Sun. While Nasa could receive and retrieve missing data, the risk of the robots receiving broken instructions that could be dangerous to the mission is too great.
However, the robots are not left idle during this time. Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory stated that the robots may catch up on other tasks pending on their to-do lists or take a well-deserved break.
The communication interruption does not mark the end of their connection but is necessary for the safety and success of the Mars exploration mission. Once Earth and Mars align again, Nasa and their robotic fleet will be reunited and resumes their work in exploring the Red Planet.