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> The transistors cannot simply be replaced. Clipper’s aluminum-zinc electronics vault, meant to provide a measure of radiation resistance, was sealed in Octobe

> The transistors cannot simply be replaced. Clipper’s aluminum-zinc electronics vault, meant to provide a measure of radiation resistance, was sealed in October 2023. Surely they can be replaced! Humans (in cleanrooms) can put their hands inches away from them. Here's a picture, admittedly from 2022, before it was sealed: https://europa.nasa.gov/resources/342/electronics-vault/ https://europa.nasa.gov/resources/342/electronics-vault/ It's not the same as saying they've failed and are in orbit around Jupiter and so can't be replaced. They simply need to open and re-seal the vault or build and seal a new electronics vault before October.

nebalee 2y ago
Here's a photo of the vault as it was about to be sealed in October last year: https://www.nasa.gov/missions/europa-clipper/how-nasa-is-protecting-europa-clipper-from-space-radiation/ https://www.nasa.gov/missions/europa-clipper/how-nasa-is-pro... In the meantime NASA built a whole spacecraft around it and the craft went through numerous tests. If they'd have to undo and redo all of that, they may even miss the 2025 backup launch date. I'm sure NASA is very eager to seek other ways to deal with this problem.
- rob74 2y ago
  Ok, that sounds a bit more convincing... I'm not the OP, but I was just trying to imagine why a "sealed vault" would work better against cosmic radiation than a more prosaic screwed shut container.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- fbdab103 2y ago
  On one hand, it must be baller to work on assembling spacecraft. On the other, wearing those gowns all day must be terrible.
2o3jr2o34j 2y ago
Do you understand that testing and certifying everything takes months and is a significant portion of the cost of the mission? And plenty of these components and closures were designed for single use, so they would have to be replaced. This is not a desktop PC.

nebalee 2y ago

Here's a photo of the vault as it was about to be sealed in October last year: https://www.nasa.gov/missions/europa-clipper/how-nasa-is-protecting-europa-clipper-from-space-radiation/ https://www.nasa.gov/missions/europa-clipper/how-nasa-is-pro... In the meantime NASA built a whole spacecraft around it and the craft went through numerous tests. If they'd have to undo and redo all of that, they may even miss the 2025 backup launch date. I'm sure NASA is very eager to seek other ways to deal with this problem.

rob74 2y ago
Ok, that sounds a bit more convincing... I'm not the OP, but I was just trying to imagine why a "sealed vault" would work better against cosmic radiation than a more prosaic screwed shut container.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
fbdab103 2y ago
On one hand, it must be baller to work on assembling spacecraft. On the other, wearing those gowns all day must be terrible.

2o3jr2o34j 2y ago

Do you understand that testing and certifying everything takes months and is a significant portion of the cost of the mission? And plenty of these components and closures were designed for single use, so they would have to be replaced. This is not a desktop PC.