[X] My Assistant

[Guest_Oersted_*]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Science_...ry#Power_source
"The MMRTG is designed to produce 125 watts of electrical power at the start of the mission and 100 watts after 14 years. The MSL will generate 2.5 kilowatt hours per day compared to the Mars Exploration Rovers which can generate about 0.6 kilowatt hours per day. Although the primary mission is planned to last about 2 Earth years, the MMRTG will have a minimum lifetime of 14 years."

I know it might be considered hubris, but I cannot get this number out of my mind. If all goes well after landing, we might have a mission that will outlive some of us Earthbound followers. With JPL famously over-engineering the rovers, I am convinced that they have done something similar for Curiosity. Are there any mission-critical components that - with 100 percent certainty - will not last beyond two-three years? I doubt it, but would like to know.

If all goes well on landing, and if the rover longevity is what we might hope, what will that mean for how we approach this mission conceptually? - Obviously no "living-on Mars-time" as in the early rover days. Probably no mad dashes, thinking that every day could be the last. But will we ever really see MSL being operated with a long-term plan in which a grand research design spanning several years is being adhered to? Would that even make sense?

Your thoughts please...

[MrNatural]

Let's not get too carried away; MSL does have finite limits on instruments and resources. The ChemMin specification (D. Blake et al) notes: "During the nominal MSL mission of one Mars year, the ChemMin CCD will be damaged by high-energy neutrons from the nuclear power source..." so performance will degrade after that (although steps to ameliorate this have been taken). There are a bunch of other limits, some more serious than others. Off the top of my head here are few: There is a limit to the amount of helium carrier gas MSL carries. Residue may accumulate in the quartz cups but that may not be a problem. And there is a limited supply of solvents in the wet cells limiting the amount of polar (i.e. amino acids) chemical extractions that can be done.

Hopefully MSL will last long enough to come up against these limits for even if it is half-blind (as Opportunity is now) with a degraded ChemMin CCD and depleted wet cells etc., it is still an incredible machine. I sure hope the MSL nominal mission of one Martian year is as accurate as the 3-month estimated lifespan of the MERs. JPL has an excellent track record so I am very hopeful.

As far as Mt. Sharp, Matthew Golombek noted in an excellent pre-landing briefing that MSL will not travel above the sulfate layers because it is thought that area is dominated by soft aeolian deposits.