How The New Mars Rover’s Power Supply (Plutonium Dioxide) Works

Posted by powertower on Monday November 21, 2011 @10:15AM
from the nasa.gov dept.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=116637781

( 2 comments | 6 points | on HN )

Re:How The New Mars Rover’s Power Supply (Plutonium Dioxide)... by yread on Monday November 21, 2011 @11:29AM (#3261626)

I wonder if it was a good idea to use the blue light "to see what they are doing" as Cherenkov radiation they would see in case of a radioactive leak[1] would also be blue.

If it works at least as well as the one on Voyager it should be good for 40 years!

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goiânia_accident

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:How The New Mars Rover’s Power Supply (Plutonium Dioxide)... by cale on Monday November 21, 2011 @10:39AM (#3261441)

110 watts of continuous power.

[ Parent | on HN ]