Curiosity Rover Solar Panels

One consequence is that the mars exploration rovers couldn t work for more that half of the time.

Curiosity rover solar panels.

Named curiosity it was the largest rover to be placed on the surface of mars. The curiosity rover is bigger needs more power. The 2 main drawbacks of solar panels is that they don t work during the night and they don t work during the martian winter. The rover requires power to operate.

But these plutonium units are a respected power source for spacecraft nasa s curiosity rover. Mars exploration rovers spirit and opportunity exploring the planet mars facts information videos and pictures. This power source gives the mission an operating. On august 6 2012 the most recent rover landed on mars.

Curiosity carries a radioisotope power system that generates electricity from the heat of plutonium s radioactive decay. The rovers by name curiosity. The power source generates 9 mj 2 5 kwh of electrical energy each day much more than the solar panels of the now retired mars exploration rovers which generated about 2 1 mj 0 58 kwh each day. Opportunity set a new record for travel on an extraterrestrial location by driving a total of 2806 mi 45 16 km.

The electrical output from the mmrtg charges two rechargeable lithium ion batteries. Without power it cannot move use its science instruments or communicate with earth.