Re: Mars rover sticker shock
- From: Brian Thorn <bthorn64@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:15:53 GMT
On Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:49:51 -0600, Pat Flannery <flanner@xxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
A few more MERs would have been great... sent to different places on
Mars, etc. But when you start adding the instruments that MSL will
carry (bigger, more power-hungry, etc), and the RTG to power them, you
outgrow what the MER landing system can accomodate (the MERs were
already at the border of what the airbag system can support, having
been scaled-up from Pathfinder). Ergo, MSL is an all-new design, with
an all-new landing system.
I wonder if they had it to do all over again, if they'd go with the RTG.
It's only going to allow the rover to operate for around two years. Now
that we know about the winds cleaning the solar arrays, might they make
more sense?
Probably not. The MERs spend half their days just recharging the
batteries and sleep all night. MSL will be operational 24.5/7.
Brian
.
- References:
- Mars rover sticker shock
- From: Pat Flannery
- Re: Mars rover sticker shock
- From: David Spain
- Re: Mars rover sticker shock
- From: Brian Thorn
- Re: Mars rover sticker shock
- From: Pat Flannery
- Mars rover sticker shock
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