No moving parts, not generating through reaction, just through decay...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator
On 8/31/22 10:37 AM, Chuck McCown via AF wrote:
In order to generate 470 watts electrical, you would need something
like 10kW thermal. Thermal to electric conversion methods are
horribly inefficient. So out on that boom they have had a 10kW
glowing chunk of metal all this time. Or did they have multiple
chunks that they moved together to react? In any event, that is a
bunch of heat to get rid of. They must have had a way to turn it up
because getting 10 kW out of the launch vehicle would have been a huge
problem.
*From:* Daniel Pautz via AF
*Sent:* Wednesday, August 31, 2022 11:30 AM
*To:* 'AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group'
*Cc:* Daniel Pautz
*Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] OT Voyager
I read this a few years back.
https://www.universetoday.com/142802/nasa-has-figured-out-how-to-extend-the-lives-of-the-voyagers-even-longer/
They launched making 470 watts and down to a whopping 270 watts in 2011
*From:* AF <[email protected]> *On Behalf Of *Robert
*Sent:* Wednesday, August 31, 2022 11:27 AM
*To:* [email protected]
*Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] OT Voyager
baby nuke=thermal generator, pu based..?
On 8/31/22 10:23 AM, Daniel Pautz via AF wrote:
Though these two guys didn’t have solar panels, good old baby
nuke on board.
*From:* AF mailto:[email protected] *On Behalf Of *Chuck
McCown via AF
*Sent:* Wednesday, August 31, 2022 11:13 AM
*To:* [email protected]; 'AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group'
mailto:[email protected]
*Cc:* Chuck McCown mailto:[email protected]
*Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] OT Voyager
I was taught, many years ago, that minority (might have been
majority) charge carrier migration in semiconductors would render
them useless in 20 years. Also solar panels are supposed to wear
out in 20 years. And cosmic rays kill all semiconductors. etc
etc Danged good modulation they are using whatever it is. I
think it was some kind of pseudo random noise code but I may be
wrong about that. A professor in an analog class told me that
almost 40 years ago.
*From:*[email protected]
*Sent:*Wednesday, August 31, 2022 11:08 AM
*To:*'AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group'
*Cc:*'Chuck McCown'
*Subject:*RE: [AFMUG] OT Voyager
I’d bet a smaller codebase helps. No gigabytes of libraries to debug.
But yeah, if something I built lasted 45 years in outer space I’d
pat myself on the back a bit.
*From:*AF <[email protected]> *On Behalf Of *Chuck McCown via AF
*Sent:* Wednesday, August 31, 2022 11:50 AM
*To:* [email protected]
*Cc:* Chuck McCown <[email protected]>
*Subject:* [AFMUG] OT Voyager
This space vehicle launched 45 years ago started sending garbage
telemetry. The folks running that show figured it was routing the
data through a known defective computer.
So they commanded it to switch to the good computer and they got
good telemetry.
Talk about latency... 16 hours.
So 45 (more likely 55) year old hardware running an OS that old is
still essentially rocks solid. So are the transmitters and
receivers and other RF components allowing communication clear out
into deep space.
Damn, those engineers and coders must be proud of the job they did.
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