Earth: Mars Can't Hear You (Just Temporarily)

NASA has ceased routine communications with five spacecraft orbiting and roving the surface of Mars through June 21, a period known as solar conjunction.

The two week stretch in which Mars is notched behind the sun from the Earth's perspective began June 7. The sun  temporarily disrupts commands sent to the Mars spacecraft during the period.

Attempts by NASA to command the rovers Curiosity and Opportunity as well as the orbiting spacecraft MAVEN, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey could be garbled or lead to unwanted responses until Mars re-emerges from behind the sun.

The European Space Agency and India Space Research Organization have taken a similar approach with the Mars Express orbiter and Mangalyaan Mars orbiter.

The  Earth/Mars solar conjunction occurs every 26 months.

Ground controllers even ease back on efforts to communicate with the spacecraft in the days leading up to and immediately following the conjunction.

The conjunction is the seventh for Mars Odyssey, the oldest of the seven spacecraft, which reached the red planet in 2001.

Not all activity will cease.

MAVEN, which like Mangalyaan is experiencing its first conjunction since maneuvering into orbit in September, will continue its observations of the solar wind but store the data for transmission back to Earth in late June.

NASA ground controllers cleared some no longer needed data from their spacecraft prior to the conjunction to open up data storage capacities.

Curiosity and Odyssey will not roll or move robot arms or masts during the conjunction.

Odyssey and MRO, which act as communications relays for the three-year-old Curiosity and 11-year-old Opportunity rovers, will continue to transmit to Earth, through some of their communications may not reach their intended destination,  NASA's Deep Space Network.

Data gathered by the two NASA orbiters during the period will also be stored aboard the spacecraft, then transmitted to Earth post conjunction.

NASA has ceased routine communications with five spacecraft orbiting and roving the surface of Mars through June 21, a period known as solar conjunction.

The two week stretch in which Mars is notched behind the sun from the Earth's perspective began June 7. The sun  temporarily disrupts commands sent to the Mars spacecraft during the period.

Attempts by NASA to command the rovers Curiosity and Opportunity as well as the orbiting spacecraft MAVEN, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey could be garbled or lead to unwanted responses until Mars re-emerges from behind the sun.

The European Space Agency and India Space Research Organization have taken a similar approach with the Mars Express orbiter and Mangalyaan Mars orbiter.

The Earth/Mars solar conjunction occurs every 26 months.

Ground controllers even ease back on efforts to communicate with the spacecraft in the days leading up to and immediately following the conjunction.

The conjunction is the seventh for Mars Odyssey, the oldest of the seven spacecraft, which reached the red planet in 2001.

Not all activity will cease.

MAVEN, which like Mangalyaan is experiencing its first conjunction since maneuvering into orbit in September, will continue its observations of the solar wind but store the data for transmission back to Earth in late June.

NASA ground controllers cleared some no longer needed data from their spacecraft prior to the conjunction to open up data storage capacities.

Curiosity and Odyssey will not roll or move robot arms or masts during the conjunction.

Odyssey and MRO, which act as communications relays for the three-year-old Curiosity and 11-year-old Opportunity rovers, will continue to transmit to Earth, through some of their communications may not reach their intended destination,  NASA's Deep Space Network.

Data gathered by the two NASA orbiters during the period will also be stored aboard the spacecraft, then transmitted to Earth post conjunction.