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I can't imagine the risk of flying in close proximity would be worth it. If you crash into the rover you could jam up the wheels or a piece of scientific equipment.

We know from Spirit and Opportunity that dust on the panels isn't much of a concern; wind seems to clear them regularly.



A large constraint on Spirit and Opportunity was keeping the panels clear, that's why they lasted so long.

From what I remember, during martian winter they had to take the grade and the prevailing wind direction into account to keep the dust and fines off.

Currently the InSight lander is going into hibernation because the solar panels haven't really gotten cleaned in 3 years: https://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-mars-insight-lander-limits-op...


It's already been three years? Feels like a few months ago. Wow.

Still can't believe we've got proof of Marsquakes - that alone turned the consensus on planetary geology upside down.




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