Entries Tagged 'Sand Storm' ↓

Dark Roasted blend has an interesting article on dust storms. It has a ton of pictures, mostly from the Middle East and Northern Africa. The picture above is of a dust storm advancing in the Negev Desert of southern Israel. It’s advancing at a speed of 40 miles per hour and is over 4,000 feet high.

Check out the article for a lot more pictures.

Dark Roasted Blend: Dust Storms!

For some more pictures of dust storms, check out my previous post of dust storms over Iraq.

It seems that the two Nasa explorer robots are stuck in sand storms that are hampering their ability to collect power from the sun. According to the Nasa report, 99 percent of the sun is being blocked out. If you saw my previous post about a sand storm in Iraq, you will have some idea of how hard it could be to get a clear patch of sunlight. The rovers were initially sent to Mars back in 2004. Their first mission being to find evidence of water on the planet. Both have gone through numerous software updates to increase their autonomy and fault tolerance. Currently both Spirit and Opportunity are stuck in the sand storms, though Opportunity is feeling the worst of it.

Check out the Nasa report here: Mars Rovers Caught in Severe Dust Storm
For a historical background on the rovers, check the Wikepedia article: Mars Exploration Rover

Found a group of pictures showing a sand storm in Iraq. Imagine seeing that coming for you. Seriously scary looking.
Sand storms are relatively common in desert and arid areas. Usually they don’t cause any real damage, but occasionally they can be severe.
Check out the rest of the pictures here: Sand Storm in Iraq: April 26, 2005