This is Cool

Aug 02, 2011 7 Replies
** Solar powered, ion drive spacecraft ( Dawn ) orbits asteroid - very slowly ....

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The solar array is almost 20 meters across.



Dare I say, very green.....


.... Phil


Yep, and about as meaningless as most of the environmental totems lauded by the true believers.

Sure, never mind all the green crap but is this not pretty good engineering ???

** What is NOT cool about a fridge sized space craft orbiting an *asteroid* at the speed of a single engine Cessna on final approach ?

And the whole thing is powered and driven through space by solar array the size of the same Cessna's wing - PLUS sending high res images back 200 million miles to us via a 1.2 meter dia dish ?

.... Phil

Nothing that I can think of down this end.

Rheilly P

Absolutely, there isn't much that's more inspiring. While you're at it, check out gravity probe B.

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I dont think its anything to do with the environment, as short of putting a nuclear reactor in the thing, there is just no other way to power it. Also the solar will keep pumping out power for a lot longer than the nuclear fuel will last ?

"kreed"

I dont think its anything to do with the environment, as short of putting a nuclear reactor in the thing, there is just no other way to power it. Also the solar will keep pumping out power for a lot longer than the nuclear fuel will last ?

** Radioisotope generators ( using Plutonium 238) can run for decades - probably longer than any solar array system can be expected to work.

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Space probes like Dawn can travel to the edge of the solar system and beyond where sunlight is over 1000 times dimmer than near earth - so PVs have nothing to work with.

... Phil

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