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Golf Carts Today, Mini-Van In 2009?(NuclearPowered)

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posted on Jan, 19 2004 @ 02:26 AM
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If you think the Mars rovers are interesting, wait until you see a mini-van clambering over the planet's red rocks and dusty lake beds. The two golf-cart size rovers that are mesmerizing the country now are preparing the way for a 2009 mission to Mars called the Mars Scientific Laboratory, says William Hiscock, head of the physics department and director of the Montana Space Grant Consortium based at Montana State University-Bozeman. The 2009 mission will involve a rover, too, but that vehicle will be the size of a mini-van.

...........


Nuclear power is a good thing, because it means the rover won't be disabled by dust covering the power source, Hiscock said. The current rovers are expected to run 90 days before they're done in by conditions like dust or extreme temperature changes

www.spacedaily.com...

[Edited on 19-1-2004 by MarkLuitzen]

[Edited on 19-1-2004 by MarkLuitzen]



posted on Dec, 31 2004 @ 04:59 AM
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My only concern would be the fact of placing nuclear materials into space and on another another planet. It is scary to think of the nuclear waste that is around on earth. Governments have great problems trying to get rid of now, let alone have it on another planet to cause problems in the future.



posted on Dec, 31 2004 @ 08:05 AM
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Wow, way to dig through the forums and reply to an ancient thread, eldowardo!


Anyway, lots of craft have been launched that are carrying nuclear reactors. It's no real worry.


E_T

posted on Dec, 31 2004 @ 10:59 AM
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Originally posted by cmdrkeenkid
Anyway, lots of craft have been launched that are carrying nuclear reactors. It's no real worry.
Well... not exactly nuclear reactors, but RTGs. (Radioisotope thermoelectric generator)
I've seen those called as Plutonium batteries few times in newspaper and actually that's partly right, in normal battery energy is stored in chemical form, in these it's "stored" in heavy radiactive/unstable elements.
All probes send farther than Mars (and some else like Ulysses) have used these because in outer solar system there isn't enough sunlight.
This is the power source which would be used by this new rover in design stage.
mars.jpl.nasa.gov...


Real fission reactors has been used only in Soviet RORSATs... and typically for them, reactors of those are now leaking droplets of radioactive coolant to earth's orbit.

But JIMO mission, next big Jupiter probe might well use real fission reactor as its power source to enable it to use more instruments and bigger broadcasting power. (meaning faster data transfer)
www.jpl.nasa.gov...

[edit on 31-12-2004 by E_T]



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