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#1 2007-11-25 07:22:39
- Terraformer
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- From: The Fortunate Isles
- Registered: 2007-08-27
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Re: Dust Blowers on Probes
Have any Mars probe designers looked at how Spirit and Oppertunity lasted so long? A freak wind blew the dust off their solar panels. A dust blower should be incoporated into future designs. When the craft panels start getting clogged the craft would blow the dust off their panels.
Land it near other craft and you might be able to reactivate them. Viking 1&2, operational. 
Use what is abundant and build to last
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#2 2007-11-25 07:51:56
- cIclops
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- Registered: 2005-06-16
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Re: Dust Blowers on Probes
Have any Mars probe designers looked at how Spirit and Oppertunity lasted so long? A freak wind blew the dust off their solar panels. A dust blower should be incoporated into future designs. When the craft panels start getting clogged the craft would blow the dust off their panels.
A dust blower would probably be too heavy and complicated. Better to use an RTG as MSL will have, they work at night too and have no moving parts.
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#3 2007-11-25 08:43:13
- Terraformer
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Re: Dust Blowers on Probes
RTG?
Use what is abundant and build to last
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#4 2007-11-25 09:36:52
Re: Dust Blowers on Probes
"A radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) is a simple electrical generator which obtains its power from radioactive decay. In such a device, the heat released by the decay of a suitable radioactive material is converted into electricity by the Seebeck effect using an array of thermocouples. RTGs can be considered as a type of battery and have been used as power sources in satellites, space probes and unmanned remote facilities. RTGs are usually the most desirable power source for unmanned or unmaintained situations needing a few hundred watts or less of power for durations too long for fuel cells, batteries and generators to provide economically, and in places where solar cells are not viable."
from wikipedia
-Josh
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