July 5, 2007 — A huge dust storm on Mars has cut power to NASA's twin roving geology stations and delayed the start of an investigation into a large impact crater that bears an unusual ring around its inner walls.
The Spirit and Opportunity rovers, which have been exploring opposite sides of the planet's equatorial region for three and a half years, charge their batteries with solar panels that need direct sunlight.
But a massive dust storm, estimated to be thousands of miles wide, has blanketed the rovers with dust and impaired their ability to collect sunlight.
Opportunity was scheduled to descend into Victoria Crater this week, but the study is on hold until the storm clears and the rover's power is restored. NASA hopes the descent into the crater can begin as early as July 13.
"We may have passed the worst of this," said rover mission manager John Callas, with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "The situation could improve quickly, but we will have to wait and see."
The storm, which had been brewing for more than a week, already has spread eastward and is now affecting Spirit's operations in Gusev Crater.
