PadreSJApr 27, 2023

Today @NASA tweaked the power system on Voyager 2 so its instruments could stay online.

The spacecraft is powered by three MHW-RTG (Multi-Hundred-Watt Radioisotope-Thermoelectric-Generator) units.

They used Pu-238 to provide a total of 470 watts at launch, but Pu-238 has a half-life of 87.7 years, so 46 years later the craft is down to ~348 watts.

That they can keep a 50 year-old machine operating on a fraction of its power by making modifications from billions of miles away is AMAZING!

Show threadLaux Myth (aka Martin)
@PadreSJ @NASA Before I switched to better bulbs, my bathroom had a fixture with six 60W bulbs. The room was bright but then again, I was not looking from light-minutes away. I find this amazing too.
Apr 29, 2023 at 5:50amWeb