NASA has sent several robots to Mars. These robots have been able to perform scientific research on Mars for months and years, this is thanks to their source of energy, which is a reliable and renewable source of energy (AKA solar power). There are some other robots leveraging nuclear energy in order to explore dark and dusty places where sunlight is not available. Let’s check the history of solar-powered robots!
Sojourner: The first solar powered robot in Mars
Soujourner landed on Mars on the 4th of July 1997. It was expected to function for only a week, but it overpassed all expectations since it lasted a lot longer than that! This robot lasted 85 days on Mars! Its solar panel was able to generate an average of 140 watts of power when fully illuminated. But just like our planet, Mars has seasons too and with the season comes more dust, which reduces the robots power supply to 50 watts.
Gallium powered robots
During this time, there was an additional power source found in Mars by using triple-junction gallium arsenide solar panels. So basically, it is better than the typical solar panels as these panels have three layers, which enable them to generate much more sunlight than single-layer panels. These three-layer panels powered both the Spirit and Opportunity robots in 2003.
Fuente: Forbes Advisor