When a wind vortex, also known as a dust devil, recently passed over NASA's InSight lander, there were bumps in power indicating that dust may have been cleared from its solar panels
Dust storms on Mars have a bad reputation for covering the planet and spelling doom for solar-powered rovers, like Opportunity. But when a wind vortex, also known as a dust devil, recently passed over NASA's InSight lander, it actually provided some assistance for the stationary mission.
On February 1, InSight detected a wind vortex just before its two solar panels received bumps in power. Although they were small -- 0.7% on one side and 2.7% for the other -- the boosts suggested that the wind was actually lifting Martian dust from the panels. The lander settled on the surface in late November, so it's had time to accumulate some dust.The lander took a selfie not long after landing. The solar panels were pretty clear.This is NASA InSight's first selfie on Mars.
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