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The project manager Suzy Dodd talks a lot about shutting down instruments in order to save the power. But the power output of radioisotope thermoelectric genera
by effie 9y ago
The project manager Suzy Dodd talks a lot about shutting down instruments in order to save the power. But the power output of radioisotope thermoelectric generator does not depend on how much power is drawn. Is there a conventional electric battery on the Voyagers that the instruments draw their power from instead?
- c3833174 9y agoBy saving power she means leaving enough margin to keep the supply voltage stable, running the machine near the limit could cause voltage sag when another device like the tape drive is turned on. Just like apple limits power draw of it's devices to avoid possible reboots when too much current is demanded from an old battery.
- effie 9y agoThat makes sense. I still wonder if there is battery that would be recharged by the RTG. Seem like it could save some useful energy for the future time when it is needed.
- perlgeek 9y agoI don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me if no such battery was on the spacecraft. You have to remember that Voyager is way past its originally planned mission life span, and that the nuclear battery was more than fine for the planned life span. Batteries tend to be heavy, not operate well at very low temperatures, and wear down quicker than the 40+ years since construction of the space craft. From the perspective of the original mission design, even with incredible foresight, it seems to be not worth the trade-offs.