Mars InSight Lander Can Continue with Science Mission after NASA Finds Way to Clean Dust Off Solar Panels Written 29 June 2021

CNET News reports that earlier this year, NASA’s Mars InSight lander halted its science mission in order to conserve energy, as its solar panels were covered in dust. Now, “a clever solution to the dust problem means InSight will continue studying the red planet.” On Friday, the InSight team tweeted, “Because of the hard work of my team, solar power has improved.” That “hard work included coming up with a clever way of scrubbing some of the dust off the solar panels by instructing the lander to dump dirt on itself.” The InSight team also said in a tweet, “At the start of the year we thought we’d stop collecting science for six months; now I’ll be operating for most of the summer. This is all ‘bonus’ science since I’ve completed my main mission goals.”
Full Story (CNET News)