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[i]Because of the results from Sojourner, we knew that dust would accumulate on the solar panels, but only at the extremely slow rate of ~0.29% per Martian day. Over a 90 day mission, that meant a total reduction in power of 23%. There were a number of options, then, for how to design Spirit and Opportunity... Instead, we chose the most cost-effective (i.e., cheapest) solution: simply build bigger solar panels. If, over a 90 day mission, we expected up to 23% dimming, then by building solar panels with at least 23% more surface area, we'd ensure we had all the power we need.[/i]
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