To All: Here's some data scrounged up on the Mars probe(s).
Since the weather's being a tad cranky where I'm located I decided to wander around the internet and see what I could find. Yah know sumthing? I just gotta get a speed upgrade.....like ADSL technology. There's nuthin' like having T-1 speed terminating over standard twisted pair(phone line) right into your home to brighten the day of a techno-geek like me. And it's gonna be commercially available reeeeal soon. HEH! Anyway, here's what I've found so far with regard to those Mars probes, and believe me, techno-propellarhead that I am there's some amazing, high-tech Christopher Columbus type stuff going on these days that should be getting more press than it does.
Anyway, firstly here's this
A Nasa site with an acrobat file containing an "RFP"(Request for proposal)-like Nasa statement regarding the 2001 Mars mission which will contain such things as a rover designed for a maximum distance of 10 kilometers(to be accomplished over 1 year), a global survey craft capable of remote sensing of hydrogen, etc. in a manner similar to a recent Earth moon satellite which detected water at north and south poles. Lot's of other fascinatin' stuff, too. mars.jpl.nasa.gov
.
And then there's this site which contains info regarding the Mars 1998 probes, one sent in December, and the other sent this past January(designed to land in the polar region as well as containing micro-probes).
mars.jpl.nasa.gov
It's at the above mentioned site where you can download a press-kit(which I promptly did). On page 30 of the Nasa Press Kit the technical specifics of the mission craft are stated. The spacecraft will be powered by a solar array composed of gallium arsenide solar cells mounted on 3 panels forming a single wing spanning 5.5 meters. (A parenthetical aside, solar cells have interested me for some time, and if I'm not mistaken these particular babies have surpassed a certain "magical" threshold whereby they're more efficient than conventional power generation methods. They're ~26% efficient in their conversion of sunlight to electricity.). Anyway, shortly after launch this panel(once unfolded) will generate 1,000 Watts of power. In Mars orbit it'll provide ~500 Watts. Power is stored in a 12-cell, 16 amp-hour nickel hydrogen battery.
Of course, there's LOT'S more, both in the press-kit(which is ~1 Mg in file size), and I'm enjoying the investigation because it's very educational, but I thought I'd let folks review what I've found. I highly suggest you go check-out the above mentioned sites, for starters. They can lead you all over the place and before you know it, hours have gone by. Hey, speaking of gone by, while wandering around I came across an announcement by Amoco. Did you know they've announced the "grand opening" of two solar power "gas" stations in Germany, designed to support the recharge needs of electric cars? AMOCO did THIS!! I'm just hypothesizing now, but these types of stations, as they proliferate, are gonna need energy storage systems, no? Something to mull over. Now.....back to Sheryl Crow.....;-)
John~ |
