Mars Technologies Spawn Durable Wind Turbines

In the early 1990s, NASA was planning for an extended stay on Mars, and scientists at Ames Research Center were concentrating efforts on creating a complete ecological system to sustain human crew-members during their time on the Red Planet. The group started looking at maximizing energy efficiency and alternative methods to make power on a planet that is millions of miles from Earth. They turned to a hybrid concept combining two renewable sources: wind and solar power technologies. Large surface temperature swings on Mars produce windy conditions; extreme examples are the frequent dust storms that can block nearly all sunlight.