The rover requires power to operate.
Curiosity rover solar panels.
This power source gives the mission an operating.
The power source generates 9 mj 2 5 kwh of electrical energy each day much more than the solar panels of the now retired mars exploration rovers which generated about 2 1 mj 0 58 kwh each day.
Opportunity set a new record for travel on an extraterrestrial location by driving a total of 2806 mi 45 16 km.
They believe the dust covered the rover s solar power.
Of course the insight lander currently operating on the red planet bears solar panels.
Mars exploration rovers spirit and opportunity exploring the planet mars facts information videos and pictures.
One consequence is that the mars exploration rovers couldn t work for more that half of the time.
But these plutonium units are a respected power source for spacecraft nasa s curiosity rover.
On august 6 2012 the most recent rover landed on mars.
The electrical output from the mmrtg charges two rechargeable lithium ion batteries.
The 2 main drawbacks of solar panels is that they don t work during the night and they don t work during the martian winter.
The curiosity rover is bigger needs more power.
The rovers by name curiosity.
Curiosity carries a radioisotope power system that generates electricity from the heat of plutonium s radioactive decay.