Michael Meyer, about Phoenix and MSL |
Michael Meyer, about Phoenix and MSL |
Sep 25 2006, 10:01 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 153 Joined: 11-December 04 Member No.: 120 |
http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Managing_...ssions_999.html
Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program, spoke at the recent Viking anniversary celebration. One remarkable quote: "Considering how long the Spirit and Opportunity rovers have lasted beyond their design lifetimes, it almost boggles the mind to think how long MSL could last. It may be there to greet the astronauts when they arrive on Mars." That's what I call optimism. I always thought that the lifespan of an RTG was pretty predictable and that in case of MSL it lasted for about 2 earth years. Maybe he's talking about the solar array powered version? |
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Sep 26 2006, 09:40 AM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1870 Joined: 20-February 05 Member No.: 174 |
I do not know the possible engineering constraints on "supplementary" solar cells, but if the weight of a square meter or two on advantageously oriented surfaces on top of the rover wasn't a big problem, it seems that they might be useful as a supplementary power source. There's additional power handling hardware and cabling and the like, but it might be worth it.
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