Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watdragon!watyew!jdnicoll
From: jdnicoll@watyew.waterloo.edu (Brian or James)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: retrieving Galileo
Message-ID: <19885@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Date: 17 Jan 90 16:43:12 GMT
References: <2576@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov> <327@mtndew.UUCP> <10294@microsoft.UUCP> <1990Jan17.060920.27767@utzoo.uucp>
Sender: daemon@watdragon.waterloo.edu
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 The designers of Galileo had a strong motive to use RTG designs that don't
leak large amounts of hard radiation: Galileo's electronic systems. It
wouldn't make sense to use a power source that toasted the system it was
powering, and electronics can be pretty unforgiving of doses of short 
wavelength EMR and charged particles. (I had a co-op Electrical Engineering
student comment to me about the poor performance of circuit boards exposed
to 5000 Rads, although he -wouldn't- what working environment his test boards
were intended to be used in.)
							James Nicoll