Every so often, all we see of Mars is an orb covered by dust from the wind. Understanding how and why the planet sometimes becomes completely engulfed in grit will help scientists better predict that phenomenon. Such foresight could be essential to the success of future missions there.
A team of scientists from Colorado University at Boulder have taken steps toward forecasting the storms. Heshani Pieris, a graduate student there, presented data at the American Geophysical Union meeting in December 2024.
“Dust storms have a significant effect on rovers and landers on Mars, not to mention what will happen during future crewed missions to Mars,” Pieris said in a press release. “This dust is very light and sticks to everything.”
In 2018, for example, a global dust storm smothered the solar panels on NASA’s Opportunity rover. The rover died not long after.
The team looked at two storms the planet ...
