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This is not true. The only reason the previous probe (Huygens) only lasted a few hours is because it was battery powered (and the battery wasn't particularly la
by Robotbeat 7y ago
This is not true. The only reason the previous probe (Huygens) only lasted a few hours is because it was battery powered (and the battery wasn't particularly large). This probe will carry a power source powered by the radioactive decay of Plutonium 238 (virtually all the radiation being alpha particles, which are easily blocked by the casing of the power supply and thus will not hurt the electronics or ground crew) that can provide 50-100 Watts of power for years or even decades.
- UncleSlacky 7y agoAs I mentioned elsewhere in this thread, before Huygens we expected that the surface might well be entirely liquid, giving us at best only a few minutes to run the experiments and return the data before it sank. There was no point carrying too much battery capacity in that case.
- Robotbeat 7y agoNo. Huygens was designed to float and last hours. The battery capacity is why it lasted so short.