Here's a MastCam-Z image, checking out the condition of its rotary percussive drill and the abrasion bit used to create the patch. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
How the HECK does it stay that clean? Lack of water vapour sticking dust to the surface?
Water vapour has been condensed on a Mars lander, but never at these 'warmer' latitudes. The regions where NASA's rovers are exploring are much, much drier. Curiosity and Perseverance rovers have both conducted occasional searches for surface frost in the early morning, so far without success (AFAIK). The closest they've come to observing water is the super high elevation water ice clouds that have been imaged after sunset during seasonal changes in the weather.
The rest of the rover has patches of dust / regolith gathered on flat places (where it's not cleared by the wind or gravity).
The M2020 drill is the rotary-percussive type (Hammer Drill), and when it's coring or abrading it basically vibrated like crazy. So I assume that most of the dust that has accumulated on the surface of the drill, is shaken off every time it's operated. I've attached a tiled NavCam acquired at the current location 2 sols ago.
Technical mission docs provide loads of data for the drill e.g. - The percussion mechanism has a hammer mass is 200 g, the total spring stiffness is 11 N/mm, with the single-sided amplitude of motion at the base (i.e., crank shaft throw) being 5 mm and the static gap to the anvil is approximately 9 mm. The result is a system that first impacts with base motion (and impact frequency) of approximately 25 Hz and the corer typically operates the percussion mechanism between 25 Hz and 40 Hz. Impact velocities are typically between 0.5 m/s and 3 m/s but will depend on the effective coefficient of restitution of the system and other factors.
WOW, that's some fully exhaustive, detailed answer! Thanks a lot - otherwise I'm quite a dummy when it comes to physics and space stuff, I'm just interested in the subject, so this all makes it much clearer, thanks!
Glad to help satisfy your curiosity. Feel free to ask additional questions, as there's a great community here that will try their best to answer questions.
Huh, that is detailed, yet easy to understand. Thank you!
It wipes it on it's shirt
Haha, according to the photo in the other answer, you're right.
The shirt has WALL-E printed on it- homemade.
Less wind blowing dust around? Just guessing
That said, the shadows make this look like CGI, it's unreal. That's from the lack of atmospheric diffraction, right?
That said, the shadows make this look like CGI
Most of the Mars photos for me. I guess it must be the lighting differences, but GOD I'm happy I don't have to prove stuff to a conspiracy theorist, because it does look like CGI to me, too.
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