INSIGHT MARS LANDER

               MARS INSIGHT LANDER   

RADIOACTIVE ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION

           POWER SYSTEM IN SPACE EXPLORATION

The' Atomic Energy Commission's isotopic space power program dates back to several years before Sputnik I, but the program suffered a severe setback in 1959 when the Snap-1A 

generator development program was cancelled.' This pioneer program was

not completed because it may have been  ambitious for its day. The need for isotopic power had .not yet become apparent to space program planners; its place and full significance in the nuclear space power program were not clearly established; its applicable thermoelectric energy conversion technology was still very new large quantities of isotopic fuel materials were not readily available.

Because of this sound technical basis, the Commission's space-oriented isotopic power development program has made a steady, although sometimes slow, comeback through a series of events since 1959, so that today a program technically comparable to Snap-1A could once more be undertaken with a high probability of successful  completion. This series of events can help demonstrate the status of today's space isotopic power program. Details of the various systems have been described many times and will not be repeated here. For reference purposes, the characteristics of several. space isotopic power systems.

Snap 11, a 25-w RTG being developed for use on NASA's Surveyor soft lunar-landing missions, has also contributed significantly to isotopic space power systems technology After a design study and a preliminary safety analysis had been completed, NASA established a requirement for the Snap-11 generator development program late in 1961. During the past year, a detailed design was completed that would meet all the interface requirements of the Surveyor spacecraft. These included the electrical, physical, nuclear radiation, and thermal interface specifications." The electrical output can be easily matched to the payload through a DC-to-DC voltage converter similar to that used with conventional power supplies. The physical limitations of the vehicle naturally dictate the size, weight, and shape of an RTG. For the Surveyor program, it was decided to extend Snap-11 out from the spacecraft (because of overriding thermal considerations) so that an optimized RTG configuration could be used. The separation distance and provisions for shielding in the design of the curium-242 fuel capsule will allow Snap-11 to meet the extremely stringent background radiation levels specified for the sensitive radiation detectors aboard the spacecraft. Thermal integration problems were most severe and caused abandonment, for the present of a design for conducting heat to the sensitive payload instruments during the cold lunar night. A thermal mock up of the Snap-11 has been fabricated and is undergoing tests. Electrically heated prototype generators will be available for integration tests later this year. Because of launch vehicle problems, Snap-11 is not scheduled to fly before 1965, unless the results of earlier solar powered Surveyor spacecraft dictate otherwise.

Creating robotic spacecraft that could thrive in these extreme environments demands technical innovation. One of the most important components for such missions is their electrical power supply. For most space exploration missions where sunlight is abundant, solar power has been the preferred choice. But as the environments at chosen destinations grow harsher, and missions evolve to be more demanding, it becomes more likely that effective power and heating for a spacecraft would require a Radioisotope Power System (RPS). An RPS converts the heat generated by the natural decay of the radioactive isotope plutonium-238 into 

electricity; this material is not used in weapons and cannot explode like a bomb. A portion of this decay heat often has an important secondary use in helping to keep spacecraft subsystems warm in cold environments. An RPS offers the key advantage of operating continuously, independent of unavoidable variations in sunlight. Such systems could provide power for long periods of time (significantly longer than chemical batteries), an little sensitivity to temperature, radiation or other space environmental effects. They are ideally suited for missions involving autonomous, long-duration operations in the most extreme environments in space and on planetary surfaces.

The power system,

if adopted by NASA, will include two

RTGs placed on opposite sides of the

spacecraft to maintain proper weight

and balance for stabilization. The IMP

generators will each produce appr oximately

25 wand will be fueled with

Pu-238 because of the longer than

one-year mission lifetime. These RTGs

incorporate design improvements over

Snap-9A which provide for easier fabrication.

and lower system weights.

The MMRTG is based on the proven RPS design used to provide

electrical power for NASA’s two earlier Viking landers, which operated

on the surface of Mars for 40 months and more than six years, respectively. Other missions in NASA’s heritage of safe and successful use of such generators for solar system exploration over the past 40 years include Voyager 1 and 2. The Voyagers continue to operate more than three decades after their launches, seeking the boundary of true interstellar space more than nine billion miles from the Sun.

Any NASA mission that proposes to use an RPS undergoes a

comprehensive multi-agency environmental review, including public

meetings and open comment periods during the mission planning

and decision-making process, as part of NASA’s compliance with

the National Environmental Policy Act. Additionally, any such mission

proposed by NASA would not launch until formal approval for

the mission’s nuclear launch safety is received from the Office of the

President.

Radioisotope power systems are used when they enable or significantly

enhance missions to destinations where inadequate sunlight,

harsh environmental conditions, or operational requirements make

other electrical power systems infeasible.

INCREDABLE INGENUITY

 DESIGN OF INGENUITY

Ingenuity, the small helicopter that accompanied NASA's Perseverance rover to Mars, was designed to make just a handful of flight tests after the duo landed in the Red Planet's Jezero Crater in February 2021. Since then, INGENUTY has far exceeded design expectations, with 28 flights under its belt. However, conditions in Jezero Crater have changed since the craft's arrival. Ingenuity took its first aircraft in mars, during springtime in the Jezero area. Now, winter temperatures, which can drop to around minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 80 degrees Celsius) at night, are impelling changes in Ingenuity's activities and software to keep the vehicle functional through the colder season. 

ROTOR - 122 cm

ENTIRE BODY - 49 cm

FUSELAGE - 13.6 cm x 19.5 cm x 16.3 cm

4 LEGS - 38.4 cm 

SPEED OF ROTOR - 2400 to 2700

FLIGHT TIME - up to 169 seconds

BATTERY CAPACITY - 35 to 40 Wh

The inclinometer is responsible for supplying Ingenuity's flight software with gravimetric data prior to takeoff. This data allows Ingenuity to determine its position relative to the downward pull of gravity of mars and enables calculations of the vehicle's roll and pitch prior to takeoff, Ingenuity chief pilot Håvard Grip of JPL explained in the status update. Without this initial data, the vehicle's software cannot determine proper orientation for Ingenuity during flight. But Grip and his colleagues think a redundancy in the helicopter's sensor array may allow them to keep Ingenuity flying. 

Delays are an inherent part of communicating with spacecraft across interplanetary distances, which means the helicopter’s flight controllers at JPL won’t be able to control the helicopter with a joystick or to look at engineering data or images from each flight until well after the flight takes place. Therefore, Ingenuity will make some of its own decisions, based on parameters set by its engineers on Earth. Ingenuity has a kind of programmable thermostat, for instance, that will keep it warm on Mars. During flight, Ingenuity will analyze sensor data and images of the terrain to ensure it stays on the flight path programmed by project engineers. 

Redundancy is the name of the game for NASA engineers, even when it comes to technology demonstrators with short life expectancies such as Ingenuity. Mission team members had envisioned a possible inclinometer failure under a number of various hypothetical scenarios, so they were ready with a software patch to address the issue well before the rover/copter duo's arrival on surface of the Mars last year. 

IS THE ROTATING SPEED OF EARTH IS CONSTANT?

Earth takes approximately 24 hours (23 hours 56 minutes 4.09053 seconds) to rotate on its axis. At the equator Earth rotate at the speed of approximately 1670 km per hour. This speed slightly move from the equator to the poles. This wake variation influences the shape of the Earth. Its central equatorial region is slightly saline. Thus, the diameter of the equator is 12,756 km and the diameter connecting the poles is 12,7:4 km. There are also. The difference between the two is 42 km Because of this difference, the Earth is slightly flattened at the poles and slightly saltier at the equator. The shape of the earth is called oblate spheroid in the scientific world because it is not a sphere but resembles it. This term can mean a sphere with a larger diameter at the equator. Because of this peculiar shape of the earth, one's weight varies in different regions would you believe That is, the weight of a particular object varies slightly from place to place. Mass is the density of an object. It doesn't change anywhere. Therefore, mass is a constant. But weight is the force exerted on the mass and this force varies with gravity.

 The value of this gravitational force takes ρ = 930665 m/g 9053 seconds). 9.81 m/s R is approximately 24 hours. As a result of the varying appearance of the earth, the amount of gravity varies from place to place, apart from the appearance of the earth, its valleys, huge mountains, differences in density, etc., also cause changes in gravity. Chip size is space to space calculated. At higher altitudes than at the Earth's surface, the value of the force is slightly depressed. The variation in the value of the drag force during an airplane flight at a height of 1000 feet may cause it to change. Weight also varies from place to place. If the mass (m) and p (4) above the earth's surface are the height. The value of gravity in g. If we consider the value of gravity at height as g, we get the following mathematical formula

g(h) = g(e)[r(e)/r(e)+h]^2

where r is the radius of the earth. Now since r/(r+h]>1, 9,<g,. Hence, it is certain that the magnitude of gravity at a given height is slightly less than the surface of the earth.

According to this formula, if you stand on the highest mountain, the magnitude of gravity decreases by 0.3%. Also due to the gravity of the sun, moon etc. and the high speed rotation of the earth, the magnitude of the gravitational force is likely to decrease up to 0.7% maximum.

Minimum Gravity on Earth: The value is located on top of Mount Revado Hua (Nevan. (Sand)) in Peru. There it has a value of 9.7639 n/ maximum gravitational force which sets it near the North Pole and is called the Orburu. There its value is 98337 /> Among the cities with the lowest geographic jump is Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malayia.

9.766 m/s

where in Norway the value is 

6.825 m/s

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