The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s MMRTG is essentially a nuclear power source. The radioisotope material is plutonium-238. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG can convert heat from the natural decay of plutonium-238 to electricity, and the power produced is 110 W at the beginning of the mission. Then each year the power will drop a few percent. But since the plutonium-238 is only enough for one and a half Mars year (or three Earth years), the drop will not make a big impact on the mission.
For our 1:2 Peserverance Mars Rover Replica, you can use rechargeable batteries or plug them into the wall. It won’t be nuclear power. With batteries, the Perseverance Mars Rover Replica can operate for around 2 hours.
Unlike on Earth, you will not get a steady sunlight accumulation on Mars, and the daily and seasonal temperature fluctuation is too abrupt. Therefore, it will be unwise and unpractical to use solar panels for the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover, at least not at the moment. This makes the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG perfect for the space mission.
The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG is very small but it can produce significantly more energy compared with other forms of available power supplies. Although nuclear power might sound dangerous, protections are made to ensure safety. First of all, the plutonium-238 is not weapon-grade. Second of all, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG technology has already been used in numerous space missions, such as the Curiosity rover mission, the Apollo mission, the Viking mission, and many more for over 50 years. Therefore, it has been proved as a reliable power source for space missions. Lastly, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG is designed to have many layers of protective materials, so that under various extreme conditions, the plutonium-238 inside will still be contained and safe.
The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG is able to generate electricity continuously no matter the condition. The sufficient amount of energy that the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG produces also makes it convenient for scientists to work with Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover no matter day or night.
Our 1:2 Peserverance Mars Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the structure appearance of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG. If you are interested in our Peserverance Mars Rover Replica, you can check out [1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary].
