NASA's Curiosity Rover Grows More Powerful After 13 Years On Mars
NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, which operates the Curiosity mission, has pushed a new software update to the six-wheeled adventurer. The main purpose is to improve the lifespan of its multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator (MMRTG), which isn't a video game genre, but an advanced form of radioisotope power system (RPS). This is a miniaturized plutonium power plant, which is pretty amazing. Trouble is, even plutonium runs out eventually, and it's not like Curiosity can just pop over to the garage to pick some more up (and swap out its wheels while it's at it).
Every time Curiosity does anything at all, it uses electricity. Driving the wheels, scanning for a route, taking samples that one day should return to Earth, phoning home -- it all takes a little juice, and recharging the batteries means expending plutonium. Once it's all gone, Curiosity becomes a future Martian museum piece, nothing more. So making the seven-foot-tall guy more efficient is pretty critical, as it will extend the life of the MMRTG and, thus, Curiosity itself. How to do that? By doing what every 13-year-old juggling homework and social media does: multitask. And then take more naps.
Read more: Call Me A Luddite, But These Modern Features Only Seem To Make Cars Worse
The Quest For More Naps
Curiosity has a lot to do, but all of that is programmed by the good people back at JPL. So a day's mission might be, say, drive over there, take some photos, upload those photos back to Earth, then drive somewhere else. Each of those steps is planned out in sequence, and Curiosity fulfills them one at a time. Sensible, but also hugely inefficient.
So, crazy idea: what if Curiosity could upload the photos during the drive to the second location? That reduces the total amount of time Curiosity even has to be on to accomplish the mission, meaning less total power draw. This, critically, means more naps, a priority for us all.
In fact, before this update, the rover would do each of these tasks for an allotted amount of time, regardless of whether it accomplished the objective early. Maybe the drive was a bit smoother than estimated, and it arrived a little early. The old Curiosity would still serve out the scheduled time. The updated Curiosity can recognize when it's done its job for the day and then power down. The more power saved, the less the plutonium gets used up, the more years Curiosity will last.
The Miniaturized Nuclear Reactor
NASA has actually been using RTG systems since the 1960s. The Apollo missions used them, and the two Voyager spacecraft sailing off into the universe are still being powered by them today. The current version being used by Curiosity and its sibling Perseverance is "multi-mission," meaning the same design could be used in space or in atmosphere.
The main principle at work here is that if two conductive elements are at vastly different temperatures, electricity flows. Inside the device are plutonium pellets, which generate immense heat when desired. Outside the device, well, it's Mars! It's cold. You get the cold part for free. There's a reason this stuff is still working in the void of space. That allows for 110 watts from 10.6 pounds of plutonium to charge the rover's batteries.
The device itself is pretty sturdy, which it has to be, in case there's an accident. No one wants a science mission to turn into a dirty bomb. In fact, back in 1968, a rocket carrying a satellite with an RTG crashed into the sea. The generator was successfully recovered, intact and then reused on a future satellite.
How long will Curiosity's MMRTG last? As with all things on Mars, it's hard to predict. Maybe future updates will make it even more efficient; maybe something will go horribly wrong tomorrow. But when it first landed, NASA was only hoping the rover would make it two years. It just hit its 13th birthday. Here's to the next 13, buddy.
Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox...
Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Astronaut Butch Wilmore retires from NASA less than 5 months after 286-day spaceflight
One of NASA's two previously stuck astronauts has retired from the space agency, less than five months after his unexpectedly long spaceflight came to an end. NASA announced Butch Wilmore's departure on Wednesday. Wilmore and Suni Williams launched last summer as test pilots on Boeing's first astronaut flight. What should have been a weeklong trip to the International Space Station turned into a stay of more than nine months because of Boeing's malfunctioning Starliner. 5 Astronaut Butch Wilmore waved as he returned to Earth in NASA's SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft on March 18, 2025. NASA 5 Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams smiled and waved before they launched into space on June 5, 2024 from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Getty Images Starliner came back empty, and Wilmore and Williams returned to Earth in March with SpaceX. Wilmore, 62, had already retired from the Navy. Williams, 59, also a retired Navy captain, is still with NASA. She joined Second Lady Usha Vance at Johnson Space Center in Houston earlier this week, taking part in a summer reading challenge for schoolchildren. 5 Wilmore spent the holidays on the ISS while he was stranded in space. X / NASA Astronauts 5 NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission returned to Earth on March 18, 2025. NASA 5 Wilmore is a veteran pilot and a graduate of the US Naval Test Pilot School. NASA Selected as an astronaut in 2000, Wilmore logged 464 days in orbit over three missions. His final spaceflight made up nearly two-thirds of that total: 286 days. 'Throughout his career, Butch has exemplified the technical excellence of what is required of an astronaut,' NASA's chief astronaut Joe Acaba said in a statement. 'As he steps into this new chapter, that same dedication will no doubt continue to show in whatever he decides to do next.'
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Moon phase today: What the moon will look like on August 6, 2025
It's hard to believe we're still a few days away from a full moon, especially when it looks almost there tonight. The lunar cycle is a series of eight unique phases of the moon's visibility, and we're still in the phase before a full moon. The whole cycle takes about 29.5 days, according to NASA, and these different phases happen as the Sun lights up different parts of the moon whilst it orbits Earth. So, what's happening with the moon tonight, Aug. 6? What is today's moon phase? As of Wednesday, Aug. 6, the moon phase is Waxing Gibbous. According to NASA's Daily Moon Observation, the moon will be 91% lit up tonight, the 13th day of the lunar cycle. If you enjoy spotting marks on the moon's surface, this is the time of the lunar cycle to pull out the binoculars. With your unaided eye, you'll be able to spot many things tonight, but most notably the Mare Cirisum, the Mare Tranquillitatis, and the Tycho Crater. With binoculars, you'll also be able to see the Mare Humorum, the Alps Mountains, and the Clavius Crater. If you're lucky enough to have a telescope, there are endless geological features to spot, namely the Caucasus Mountains, Apollo 11, and the Descartes Highlands. When is the next full moon? The next full moon will be on August 9. The last full moon was on July 10. What are moon phases? According to NASA, moon phases are caused by the 29.5-day cycle of the moon's orbit, which changes the angles between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Moon phases are how the moon looks from Earth as it goes around us. We always see the same side of the moon, but how much of it is lit up by the Sun changes depending on where it is in its orbit. This is how we get full moons, half moons, and moons that appear completely invisible. There are eight main moon phases, and they follow a repeating cycle: New Moon - The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye). Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere). First Quarter - Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon. Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it's not quite full yet. Full Moon - The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible. Waning Gibbous - The moon starts losing light on the right side. Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) - Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit. Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again. Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
4 hours ago
- Fox News
NASA announces retirement of veteran astronaut Butch Wilmore after 25 years of service
NASA has announced the retirement of test pilot and astronaut Butch Wilmore after 25 successful years of service and flights aboard four different spacecraft. Wilmore, a veteran pilot and graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, has logged 464 days in space since his selection by NASA in 2000. The decorated U.S. Navy Capt. has flown on the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 2009, Roscosmos Soyuz in 2014, Boeing Starliner in 2024, and returned to Earth aboard SpaceX Dragon most recently. He also completed five spacewalks for a total of 32 hours outside the International Space Station. "Butch's commitment to NASA's mission and dedication to human space exploration is truly exemplary," said Steve Koerner, acting director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "His lasting legacy of fortitude will continue to impact and inspire the Johnson workforce, future explorers, and the nation for generations. On behalf of NASA's Johnson Space Center, we thank Butch for his service." Wilmore has been recognized as not only technically gifted but also an adaptable astronaut whose legacy spans decades of advancing human spaceflight across many missions. He was one of the few astronauts that flew aboard both NASA's legacy and commercial vehicles which helped validate critical systems for long-term human spaceflight. "Throughout his career, Butch has exemplified the technical excellence of what is required of an astronaut. His mastery of complex systems, coupled with his adaptability and steadfast commitment to NASA's mission, has inspired us all," said Joe Acaba, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson. "As he steps into this new chapter, that same dedication will no doubt continue to show in whatever he decides to do next." Wilmore's most recent launch aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024, marked the first crewed flight test mission. During the mission, they were able to help remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly and collect samples for analysis from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock. "From my earliest days, I have been captivated by the marvels of creation, looking upward with an insatiable curiosity. This curiosity propelled me into the skies, and eventually to space, where the magnificence of the cosmos mirrored the glory of its creator in ways words can scarcely convey," said Wilmore. "Even as I ventured beyond Earth's limits, I remained attuned to the beauty and significance of the world below, recognizing the same intricate design evident among the stars is also woven into the fabric of life at home." Wilmore's retirement signals the end of NASA's pioneering era of cross-platform astronaut missions and early commercial spaceflight validation.
