What happened to Surveyor's solar panel?
The solar panel on the -Y side of the spacecraft is fully
deployed, but 20.5 degrees out of position. What happened is that
a damper shaft in the solar array's deployment mechanism broke
shortly after launch. Data form the spacecraft indicates that
this event occurred 43 seconds after the array began unfolding
from its launch-stowed configuration into its flight deployed
configuration.
This damper is a device that was installed to minimize the
mechanical shock of deployment by slowing the motion of the array
during deployment. The flight team theorizes that the broken
shaft caused the damper arm to wedge into the hinge joint
connecting the solar panel to the spacecraft.
Efforts are underway to determine the best method to free the
damper arm from the hinge joint. However, the -Y solar panel is
currently generating full power, and the 20.5 degree position
discrepancy does not pose a significant threat to the success of
the mission.