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this is something I never got: why don't they just chuck a whole bunch of cheap consumer gadgets on these things ? Is it really that hard to attach an array (fo

this is something I never got: why don't they just chuck a whole bunch of cheap consumer gadgets on these things ? Is it really that hard to attach an array (for redundancy) of gopros to constantly transmit video at 60fps (and sound, even if Mars doesn't really propogate sound) ?

eriknstr 10y ago
Consumer grade electronics would likely not survive the radiation that is present in space outside of earth's atmosphere.
wyldfire 10y ago
Mostly because of mass. I think the cost of these probes scales with mass and adding those cheap gadgets would displace other scientific instruments. A 60fps camera might be interesting for entry but then it's mostly useless on the surface. And it would take a veeeeeery long time to transmit video (even if you downsampled in spatial and temporal resolution it's just not worth it). As pointed out elsewhere in this thread, the consumer grade devices cannot withstand the extremes of space (not just temp extremes, also high energy rays/particles we're shielded from here).
lucozade 10y ago
> why don't they just chuck a whole bunch of cheap consumer gadgets on these things This [0] is an interesting read on some of the considerations for the Curiosity rover cameras. [0] https://www.dpreview.com/articles/0353350380/curiosity-interview-with-malin-space-science-systems-mike-ravine https://www.dpreview.com/articles/0353350380/curiosity-inter...
- wwggggoi 10y ago
  great link thanks!
Arnt 10y ago
Yes. Space radiation doesn't kill 1% of gopros, it kills 99% of them (both numbers made up, but you get the point). Then there's the power budget. A watt is cheap here, not so cheap on Mars, so even what counts as "low power" on the surface of earth isn't cheap on Mars. And of course, n-item arrays need correspondingly more power than single items. (I realise it's not your main point, but broadcasting 60fps video across the solar system sounds like it might need a LOT of power, no matter of sensitive the receiver is.)
erikbye 10y ago
Electronics to be used in space must be hardened against: - radiation: electrons, protons, heavy ions (MOSFETs are very vulnerable) - cold temperatures (up to -235 degree celsius) - high temperatures (up to +250 celsius, and there's no air-cooling in space) The performance of electronics vary greatly depending on radiation amount and type, and temperature. You can absolutely not throw consumer electronics (GoPro) in deep space and expect it to function.

eriknstr 10y ago

Consumer grade electronics would likely not survive the radiation that is present in space outside of earth's atmosphere.

wyldfire 10y ago

Mostly because of mass. I think the cost of these probes scales with mass and adding those cheap gadgets would displace other scientific instruments. A 60fps camera might be interesting for entry but then it's mostly useless on the surface. And it would take a veeeeeery long time to transmit video (even if you downsampled in spatial and temporal resolution it's just not worth it). As pointed out elsewhere in this thread, the consumer grade devices cannot withstand the extremes of space (not just temp extremes, also high energy rays/particles we're shielded from here).

lucozade 10y ago

> why don't they just chuck a whole bunch of cheap consumer gadgets on these things This [0] is an interesting read on some of the considerations for the Curiosity rover cameras. [0] https://www.dpreview.com/articles/0353350380/curiosity-interview-with-malin-space-science-systems-mike-ravine https://www.dpreview.com/articles/0353350380/curiosity-inter...

wwggggoi 10y ago
great link thanks!

Arnt 10y ago

Yes. Space radiation doesn't kill 1% of gopros, it kills 99% of them (both numbers made up, but you get the point). Then there's the power budget. A watt is cheap here, not so cheap on Mars, so even what counts as "low power" on the surface of earth isn't cheap on Mars. And of course, n-item arrays need correspondingly more power than single items. (I realise it's not your main point, but broadcasting 60fps video across the solar system sounds like it might need a LOT of power, no matter of sensitive the receiver is.)

erikbye 10y ago

Electronics to be used in space must be hardened against: - radiation: electrons, protons, heavy ions (MOSFETs are very vulnerable) - cold temperatures (up to -235 degree celsius) - high temperatures (up to +250 celsius, and there's no air-cooling in space) The performance of electronics vary greatly depending on radiation amount and type, and temperature. You can absolutely not throw consumer electronics (GoPro) in deep space and expect it to function.