In short, originally, **no** - too risky, too costly. With the rebirth of the ExoMars mission - they are looking at it again, and then...**maybe**. (Note: aka Rosalind Franklin Rover, so @uhoh's question is also here https://space.stackexchange.com/q/38413/40489) TL;DR: [![enter image description here][1]][1] https://www.space.com/saving-mars-robots-from-death-by-dust >***Tilting solar panels*** > >Mike Williams, Chief Engineer at Airbus Defence and Space, agrees that NASA's approach of outsized solar panels is the **best, safest and cheapest** when it comes to dust-proofing Mars-exploring spacecraft. However, Airbus is currently looking at the possibility of adding a dedicated dust defense capability, and they have plenty of time to do that. The mission, built in cooperation with Russia, was suspended in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The planned September launch was canceled, and Airbus is now storing the ExoMars rover in a clean room as some critical components, originally built by Russia, have to be replaced. > >"**Sizing the arrays to be able to manage the lower amount of sunlight that reaches them because of the dust is the best and simplest solution**," Williams told Space.com. "It's the **lowest level of complexity**. It requires the **least number of subsystems** and functions and so it has the **lowest risk**. From the perspective of designing a mission, that's definitely the most **preferable way of going about it**." > >Williams said that when the ExoMars mission was first conceived, engineers considered a **plethora of dust cleaning technologies**, including **brushes, wipers, gas blowers and electrostatic wipers to get rid of the dust**. At that time, they decided the rover, whose nominal mission in Oxia Planum was designed to last only 180 Martian days, or sols, ***did not need to self-clean***. With the new launch date now expected no earlier than 2028, they are rethinking their approach again. > >"With ExoMars now being reborn, we are looking at possibly reinstating some of that capability," Williams said. "**We could use something like solar panel tilting to possibly dislodge some of that dust**. It would also help point the panels more efficiently at the sun, which may also have some benefits." > >Williams added that Airbus engineers, just like NASA's, have to reconcile with the fact that ExoMars, just like other spacecraft on Mars, may **eventually succumb to dust**, and won't be disappointed if the rover outlasts its designed mission lifetime only marginally. Although they hope to get some help from Martian weather just like Spirit and Opportunity. > >"It's just, it's **just the way it goes** with space missions, unfortunately," Williams said. Looking at other NASA docs, dust was a concern, but other items were higher on the list of concerns: [![enter image description here][2]][2] [![enter image description here][3]][3] (The arrays in this concept lock after fold out, no tilting considered) https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/772a/2f6e1b9b50e64295895eb88e7c715012855d.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24286713_Solar_radiation_on_Mars_Tracking_photovoltaic_array >InSight's self-cleaning attempt > >Even though InSight wasn't built to wipe dust off of itself, NASA made some last resort attempts to help the lander remove some of the dust in the final months of its life as the amount of electricity generated by its panels dwindled. > >In May (2021), ground controllers commanded InSight's robotic arm to sprinkle a bit of sand across one of the lander's dust-covered panels. As wind blew the sand grains across the panel, they actually picked up some of the dust along the way, reducing the thickness of the sun-obstructing dust blanket. > >The operation enabled the lander to gain about 30 watt-hours of energy per sol at that time. https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/25952/insights-robotic-arm-helps-remove-solar-panel-dust-trickles-sand-in-the-wind/?site=insight >InSight's Robotic Arm Helps Remove Solar Panel Dust Trickles Sand in the Wind [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/k1zt0.png [2]: https://i.sstatic.net/pdHQg.png [3]: https://i.sstatic.net/Rjn2y.png