Curiosity Rover Battery Check
August 1, 2012
In the high bay of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator (MMRTG) for MSL is detached from its integration cart and installed onto the aft of the Curiosity rover for a fit check. Next, the MMRTG will be removed and later installed on the rover for launch at the pad.
The MMRTG will generate the power needed for the mission from the natural decay of plutonium-238, a non-weapons-grade form of the radioisotope. Heat given off by this natural decay will provide constant power through the day and night during all seasons.
Image credit: NASA/Cory Huston
July 12, 2011
Topics:
Space exploration, Physics, Nuclear technology, Technology Internet, Atomic battery, Plutonium, Plutonium-238, Mars Science Laboratory, Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, Radioisotope thermoelectric generator, Unmanned spacecraft, Mars exploration, Electrical generators, Actinides, Hospitality Recreation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
