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Mumbai. Mars, one of the most important planets of our solar system, has 'disappeared' for two weeks from November 11 and will be back on November 25. The spacecrafts NASA, China's and Egypt are having close look on the development. As a result of astronomical events, certain circumstances arise due to which there has been a 'communication blackout' of the Red Planet and Mars is not visible from the Earth. American space agency NASA's Rover Perseverance has been on Mars for two decades and during this blackout, NASA has also switched off some of the equipment related to it. During this time no new instructions are sent to Mars. Recently China has also joined it with its spacecraft Tianwen. Research work is going on by these space agencies on the potential of planets to search for life. A report revealed that such a blackout is experienced for about two weeks every two years due to an astronomical event. This astronomical phenomenon is called solar conjunction.
Sun is no longer in sync with the Earth and Mars
This is a period when the Earth and Mars, in their continuous orbit around the Sun, come into such a linear position that the Sun is no longer in sync with the Earth and Mars and this celestial line brings the two planets temporarily together. According to NASA, this time in the year 2023, such a situation is being created for the Mars spacecraft from November 11 to November 25 when Mars will be within 2 degrees of the Sun and during this time no communication will be established with the spacecraft. . According to a NASA scientist, no new instructions will be sent to Mars during this period because doing so could pose a threat to the Sun Rover. Mission teams will ensure that all necessary instructions are sent to the Perseverance rover before solar conjunction.
Devices are turned off
Global agency NASA has said that those working on the mission in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have devised various strategies to deal with this solar conjunction situation. During this time, some devices are switched off, while data from others is collected and stored. In some cases, spacecraft continue to send data to Earth, although there is a possibility that some data may be lost due to communication disruptions. Although autopilot technology has greatly improved the ability to independently operate spacecraft on a planet, scientists are still unwilling to take any risks during solar conjunction. It is noteworthy that along with America, India, Russia and the European Space Agency are among those who have sent spacecraft to Mars.