![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/77_20061020_SolarConjunction-350x193.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nOn October 2, 2021, all actively operating spacecraft at Mars ceased major communication with Earth as the planet entered its solar conjunction \u2014 an event wherein Mars crosses behind the Sun, limiting communication with Earth.<\/p>\n
As this began, NASA\u2019s Perseverance rover\u2019s science team released a new paper detailing the water-filled past of Jezero Crater \u2014 the location Perseverance is currently investigating.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Mars solar conjunction<\/p>\n
From Earth, Mars passes behind the Sun in an event called Mars solar conjunction. During this, Mars and Earth are opposite each other with the Sun between them.<\/p>\n
Communication with spacecraft can be difficult with the Sun in the way, so spacecraft at Mars are commanded to cease any major communication with Earth for a brief two-week period \u2014 the length of solar conjunction.<\/p>\n
Additionally, ionized gas released by the Sun can interfere with radio signals, corrupting commands. These corrupted commands can cause a spacecraft to exhibit unexpected \u2014 and sometimes dangerous \u2014 behavior.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Illustration showing Mars solar conjunction. (Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech)<\/p>\n
During solar conjunction occurs, some spacecraft will send small, brief signals back to Earth to let scientists know that they\u2019re still in good health.<\/p>\n
Spaceflight news subscription (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n However, just because major communication with Earth is halted does not mean Martian spacecraft stop collecting science.<\/p>\n While stationary for the conjunction, Perseverance is using its Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) instrument to take weather measurements in Jezero Crater. Additionally, the rover is looking for dust devils with cameras on its mast, running the Radar Imager for Mars\u2019 Subsurface Experiment (RIMFAX) instrument, and recording sounds with its microphones.<\/p>\n The Ingenuity rotorcraft, currently located 175 meters from Perseverance, is communicating with the rover and reporting its status weekly.<\/p>\n Curiosity, that is currently exploring the slopes of Mount Sharp in Gale Crater, will stay stationary as well and, like Perseverance, will take weather measurements using its Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) instrument.<\/p>\n Furthermore, Curiosity will take radiation measurements with its Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) and Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instruments while also looking for dust devils with its cameras.<\/p>\n