MMRTG

    Unlike other Mars exploration rovers, Curiosity dosn't have solar panels for energy. Instead, it uses a MMRTG, or multi-mission radioscope thermoelectric generator. This small nuclear power plant is safe, reliable, and gives long-lived power as heat and electricity to its scientific instruments. This machine developed by NASA and the Department of Energy gives off over 100 watts of electrical power and 2,000 watts as heat. the generator works by converting heat given off from plutonium-238 into electricity. Radioactive materials such as plutonium-238 give off heat as they decay naturally. The MMRTGs use thermocouples - the parts that mainly consist of the generator. Thermocouples were invented 150 years ago by a german scientist called Thomas Johann Seebeek. He discovered that electricity can be produced when two different conductive materials are joined together in a closed circuit and the two materials are in different temperatures. The MMRTG uses the cold reigion of Mars and the heat from plutonium-238 to create electricity. The excess heat along with the heat given off by the electronics also protects the delicate scientific tools from the freezing temperatures on Mars.