New Sea Discovered on Mars

[Kuciwalker]

Looks like a video game

[Dis]

anyone have details on that Cassini fission plant? I admit I did not know it had one. Having worked in the nuclear power industry in the past, I'm curious of the design. I'm a reactor design buff . I love all the science that goes in the design of reactors. You just don't thrown them together. Everything has to be in the correct ration and in the correct position in order to have proper moderation of neutrons.

Small nuclear reactors I find intersting. I would like to get one for my home . For spacecraft, they wouldn't have to use as much shielding. Though neutron radiation can cause steel to become brittle, especially when cold or undergoing rapid cool down (the reason why we control cool down rates when shutting down our reactors)

[The Mad Monk]

My first thought on seeing it was, "That's straight out of the landing scene from Aliens!"

[Spiffor]

Gah. I'm already thinking of the outrageous amount of energy it must require to have this 3-ton thing hover. Even if it's not as bad as Earth, Mars' gravity is real.

[DanS]

This is cool stuff!

Am I correct in thinking that the sea itself is 45 meters deep, but that the thickness of the dust covering hasn't been given?

Wow, I wonder how much of that mass is dedicated to fuel

Not much. It will be fueled by an RTG -- i.e., low-grade nuclear.

http://www.nuclearspace.com/a_2009_Rover.htm

[The Mad Monk]

I goofed on that -- it's an RTG, not a fission plant.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by DanS
This is cool stuff!

Am I correct in thinking that the sea itself is 45 meters deep, but that the thickness of the dust covering hasn't been given?

From what I understand, the dust is 45m thick, but the depht of the sea is unknown. They say it's unlikely that Mars Express' further instruments can be used on this one, unless it's many more tens of metres deeper... I interpret it as an uncertainty about the depht of the sea, and as a "confident guess" about the thickness of the dust.

[The Mad Monk]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
Personally, I'd favor sending an ATAT walker.

That's slated for after the Abrams tank.

[The Mad Monk]

Although the type of RTG's to be used on the 2009 Mars Rover is not known, we can make a safe assumption that they will be similar in performance to the last nuclear powered spacecraft - Cassini. Each of the three RTG's onboard Cassini generates about 290 watts of electric power. The 2009 Rover specifications currently call for two RTG units. If they are identical to the Cassini RTG's then we can expect a total available power level of 580 watts. Now compare that to Spirit and Opportunity's solar power generation of 140 watts and you will see that the 2009 Rover will have over four times the power levels available.

But it's not just about the total amount of electrical generation for the science instruments. It's also the duration of power generation. Spirit and Opportunity max out at 140 watts for up to four hours per day. The nuclear powered rover will have 580 watts of power production available 24 hours and 37 minutes (the length of a martian day) every day. The 2009 Rover's power surplus will allow increased robotic capability that is expected to significantly increase the quality and quantity of science conducted on the Martian surface. Compared to the 2003 MER rovers equipped to travel up to 100 yards a day for three-months, the MSL rover will explore miles of the Red Planet during a multiyear mission, conducting science investigation in less time and with less human oversight than previous Mars rovers.

Hope that give you some idea, Diss.

[The Mad Monk]

Oh look, it's armed.

http://www.nuclearspace.com/a_2009_Rover.htm

[Urban Ranger]

What happened to all the shielding on that fission reactor?

[pchang]

Pay no attention to the mad ravings about fission reactors.

[Whoha]

Originally posted by The Mad Monk
Early rendition -- note the lack of solar panels:



I heard -- somewhere -- that they're designing a tiny fission plant, like on Cassinni, so that it can do without solar panels.

the viking stuff was nuclear(and earlier stuff as well). Its solid stuff, but we should do both solar and nuclear for these guys.

[chequita guevara]

I claim the ocean.

[Urban Ranger]

The commies claim Mars - it's not called the Red Planet for nothing.