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From: manning@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Evan Marshall Manning)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: CRAF/Cassini Update - 11/09/90
Message-ID: <1990Nov14.225406.11378@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Date: 14 Nov 90 22:54:06 GMT
References: <1990Nov11.001924.10302@jato.jpl.nasa.gov> <7034.273fd310@abo.fi> <976@public.BTR.COM> <1990Nov14.172211.25340@zoo.toronto.edu>
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Lines: 18

>In article <976@public.BTR.COM> joshi@public.BTR.COM (Nikhil R. Joshi  joshi@btr.com) writes:
>> Was the Viking lander at least partially solar powered? ...

henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes:

>No, the Viking landers (there were two) used RTGs.  The surface of Mars
>is not a good place for solar power.  You have the usual annoying problem
>of it being night half the time, but the real killer is the dust storms,
>which can cut surface illumination to nearly zero for months at a time.

Also, wouldn't solar panels act like sails in atmosphere?

***************************************************************************
Your eyes are weary from staring at the CRT for so | Evan M. Manning
long.  You feel sleepy.  Notice how restful it is  |      is
to watch the cursor blink.  Close your eyes.  The  |manning@gap.cco.caltech.edu
opinions stated above are yours.  You cannot       | manning@mars.jpl.nasa.gov
imagine why you ever felt otherwise.               | gleeper@tybalt.caltech.edu