RocketSTEM Issue #7 - May 2014 | Page 27

to analyze from a distance. And for instruments measure things in the immediate vicinity of the spacecraft charges, and densities of atomic particles, along with the composition and quantity of dust particles, and the strength of electrically charged gas (Plasma). The spacecraft’s instruments, propulsion system, maneuvering systems, and communication equipment all require power to operate. Providing the power are three Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators, also referred to as RTGs. The RTGs generate 885 watts of power. As a comparison, the laptop I am writing this article on has a 126 watt power supply, and a 42” LCD Television uses about 120 watts of electricity. Solar panels were not an option as due to the amount of power required to operate the spacecraft and it’s instruments. Using the most advanced solar panels available at that time, that could have met the power requirements, would have required them to be so large it would have made the spacecraft too heavy to launch. Cassini is still in operation today, having complet VB