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From Robots In Plain English [1]: The Curiosity and Perseverance rovers each carry an old kind of power supply: a nuclear power generator that runs on radioact
by ripe 4y ago
From Robots In Plain English [1]:
The Curiosity and Perseverance rovers each carry an old kind of power supply: a nuclear power generator that runs on radioactive plutonium dioxide.
This generator has been used on many missions since the 1960s.
It produces a steady 110 watts of electricity. The decay of the radioactive material also emits heat, which helps keep the electronics onboard warm through the freezing nights on Mars.
Supplemented by rechargeable batteries, the generator provides enough power to let the rover pull all-nighters for years to come.
[1] https://www.robotsinplainenglish.com/e/2020-08-09-nuclear.html https://www.robotsinplainenglish.com/e/2020-08-09-nuclear.ht...
- jasonwatkinspdx 4y agoI know what a RTG is. I'm talking about this, a different topic entirely, as RTGs cannot practically meet these requirements: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/26152/the-u-s-military-wants-tiny-road-mobile-nuclear-reactors-that-can-fit-in-a-c-17 https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/26152/the-u-s-military...
- BlueTemplar 4y ago"Project Dilithium", heh ! (A Star Trek reference.) Wide-ranging article, thanks !
- midoridensha 4y agoRTGs are horrifically inefficient sources of power. They work well enough for providing a paltry 110W to a rover on another planet, but that's not going to scale up to providing power for millions of people. The amount of plutonium you'd need would be astronomical.