Dust-induced degradation of solar arrays on Mars

The atmosphere of Mars contains a considerable amount of suspended dust. This dust will settle out of the atmosphere and deposit onto the surfaces of solar arrays, resulting in degradation of performance. The amount of dust coverage and the amount of performance lost is calculated, using available data on Martian conditions. Since the amount of dust in the atmosphere varies, the degradation of array performance could be between a half percent and 50% over a 30 day mission, and between 20% and 90% over a 2-year mission.