But these plutonium units are a respected power source for spacecraft nasa s curiosity rover.
Curiosity rover solar panels.
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 rovers by name curiosity.
Photo courtesy of nasa.
The electrical output from the mmrtg charges two rechargeable lithium ion batteries.
Curiosity carries a radioisotope power system that generates electricity from the heat of plutonium s radioactive decay.
Of course the insight lander currently operating on the red planet bears solar panels.
Without power it cannot move use its science instruments or communicate with earth.
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 curiosity rover is bigger needs more power.
The rover requires power to operate.
This power source gives the mission an operating.
On august 6 2012 the most recent rover landed on mars.
Named curiosity it was the largest rover to be placed on the surface of mars.