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hi I'm Ashwin Vasavada the deputy

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project scientist for the Mars Science

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Laboratory mission and it's Curiosity

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rover so a lot of people wonder why

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curiosity doesn't have solar panels like

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the Mars exploration Rovers Spirit and

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Opportunity the Mars exploration Rovers

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often found themselves short on power as

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dust settled on their solar panels this

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was especially a problem in the short

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days of winter we need a good strong and

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reliable source of power to keep

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curiosity going for over two years on

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Mars curiosity is two times bigger five

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times heavier and has 15 times the

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weight of scientific equipment relative

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to Spirit and Opportunity like those

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Rovers Curiosity surveys the landscape

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and examines rocks up close

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curiosity scientific mission involves

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driving around its landing site perhaps

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up to 15 or 20 miles collecting samples

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of rocks and soils with a big jack

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hammer drill located on the end of a six

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foot robotic arm those samples have

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delivered to the rover and analyzed with

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some very sophisticated and power-hungry

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analytical laboratory instruments that's

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where the MM RTG comes in the

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multi-mission radioisotope

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thermoelectric generator is a power

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source that we've used for years to

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power a spacecraft that have gone to the

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outer planets and even the Apollo

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missions use it on the moon behind me

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you can see a full scale model of

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curiosity including the generator in the

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back on this half scale model of the

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generator you can see what's inside the

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generator contains a specially produced

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form of plutonium dioxide the natural

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decay of this radioisotope gives off

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heat which these thermocouples can turn

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into electricity the generator provides

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both electrical power and heat to the

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rover about a hundred watts of

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electrical power is used to continuously

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charge the rover's battery also heat can

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be pumped off of the generator using

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pipes to keep the rover's insides warm

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including the scientific instruments

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with curiosity's generator there's a

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guaranteed way of charging the battery

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year-round in all

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sorts of conditions curiosity's

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generator was developed by the

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Department of Energy and will be

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installed on the rover just a few days

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before launch but to make sure

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everything works together properly the

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engineers installed the actual generator

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on the rover for the first time the blue

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light that you see was just additional

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lighting to help them make sure they

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could see what they were doing the

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Curiosity rover and a spacecraft that

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will take it to Mars are currently in

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Florida undergoing its final

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preparations for launch everything's

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going well and all of us on the science

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team can't wait for its launch later

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this year and its arrival to Mars next