There’s a reason Curiosity’s fancy new Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator isn’t going to be installed until just days before its launch. It’s radioactive, powered by a special form of plutonium dioxide that won’t be rendered useless by the red planet’s dust issues.
In this video, Ashwin Vasavada, the Deputy Project Scientist for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory, explains how issues with Spirit and Opportunity’s dust covered solar panels led to the larger and heavier Curiosity rover being outfitted with an MMRTG power source, which harnesses heat from the natural decay of plutonium dioxide. The heat is then turned into 110 watts of continuous electrical power through a set of thermocouples, keeping the rover, and its 75kg of scientific instrumentation, warm and powered for up to two years. [NASA via Coudal]
stevjosco
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 11:54 AMIt’s a bit rough to diss solar as a power source. Spirit and Opportunity have done remarkably well running on solar. They’ve been on Mars since the start of 2004. Spirit lasted 6 years before it got stuck in sand and eventually lost power because it couldn’t orient its solar panels toward the sun. Opportunity’s still going strong.
Captain Picard
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 12:49 PM+1
Also, if this things rocket blows up on launch, you’ve got the possibility of a very dirty bomb in the atmosphere.
Scott
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 2:10 PMYou’ve just pointed out exactly why solar power isn’t useful for Curiosity.
Also, the longevity of Spirit and Opportunity had much more to do with the overall build of the rovers, not just the ‘unlimited’ power source.
Picard: Did you even watch the video? They’ve used them on other projects. The risk has been there before, so they obviously see it as an acceptable risk.
Captain Picard
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 3:32 PMYes I watched it and I was aware that they’ve been used before, the russians prefer them, however it was the writer of the article that was talking about the solar panels getting covered in dust and then failing, when in fact they coped quite well. Obviously the further out from the sun you get the more likely you would use the nuke engine, but the risk of an explosion of a rocket carrying that type of thing as opposed to solar is obviously going to be a bigger problem. “stevjosco’s” point is still valid, it wasn’t the solar that failed it was the engineering of the wheels.
Robbo
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 2:40 PMI don’t think the were “dissing” the solar power source at all they were just highlighting one of the issues they have had in the past with it.
DOC
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 6:16 PMDust on those Solar Cells….I remember some photos online showing how they magically clean themselves….perhaps this power unit will dispel the rumors of NASA’s total Fakery of the Mars photographic footage….call me a Conspiracist – HELL YEAH
dave
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 6:39 PMuse windscreen wipers or go radioactive?