https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MHW-RTG
"The initial thermoelectric couple hot junction temperature was 1273 K (1000 °C, 1832 °F)" You might not need much radiator surface area when it is that hot. Just be careful when packing the spacecraft up on the rocket that you don't touch it with combustible materials like solvents, oils, and technicians. On Wed, Aug 31, 2022 at 1:01 PM Robert <[email protected]> wrote: > 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]> <[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. > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > -- > AF mailing list > [email protected] > http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > > > -- > AF mailing list > [email protected] > http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com >
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