From nasa Perseverance Mars rover it’s ready to roll on the surface of the red planet now that its nuclear power source has been installed.
That update came through Tory Bruno, head of the United Launch Alliance, who is responsible for Perseverance launch on the way next Thursday (July 30). Installation is a vital step toward rover takeoff, which will depend on the power system, called the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG), to keep your instruments running and stay warm during the cold Martian nights and winters.
“MMRTG #MarsPerseverance is installed and working fine” Bruno wrote on Twitter Wednesday (July 22). “This red planet dune buggy is powered and ready to go!”
In pictures: NASA Mars Perseverance rover mission to the Red Planet
The MMRTG is designed to power the rover for up to 14 years, well beyond the spacecraft’s initial mission life of $ 2.7 billion in nearly two Earth years, or one Martian year. It is largely based on the system that drives NASA Rover Curiosity, which launched in 2011 and has been touring the red planet since August 2012.
When such a system starts, it can produce about 110 watts of power, according to NASA and the Department of Energy (DOE). MMRTG contains radioactive plutonium, which naturally breaks down into more stable atoms. In doing so, it releases heat, which the MMRTG converts to electricity. Excess heat keeps a spacecraft’s instruments warm enough to continue to function smoothly.
Related: Nuclear generators for NASA deep space probes (infographic)
Although an MMRTG is powered by nuclear energy, it is not the same form of plutonium as that used in bombs and cannot explode, according to NASA and DOE.
For missions to Mars, MMRTGs offer a key benefit: Unlike solar panels, they are unaffected by local weather, meaning that a spacecraft carrying one is not vulnerable to dust storms, such as from NASA. Rover opportunity was.
Another MMRTG is slated to power NASA’s Dragonfly mission, a helicopter designed to explore the misty skies of Saturn’s huge moon Titan in 2026.
Email Meghan Bartels at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
