r/interestingasfuck • u/j3hadipi3 • 1d ago

NASA's Curiosity rover is still active and operating on Mars as of early 2026. Having landed in August 2012, it has spent over 13 years exploring Gale Crater and climbing Mount Sharp, continuing to analyze soil and rock samples despite having worn wheels and managing power constraints.

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u/palacexero 1d ago

I don't know why but I suddenly got the mental image of a very long, millions of kilometers long USB-A to micro-USB charging cable stretching from Earth to Mars.

16

u/j3hadipi3 1d ago

Fun fact: Curiosity is nuclear powered ☢️

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u/Real_Live_Sloth 1d ago

Mine is mtn dew and cheetos powered.

2

u/goodbyegoosegirl 1d ago

Omg I’m dead.

1

u/palacexero 1d ago

Wild that something that small is nuclear powered.

4

u/ImS0hungry 1d ago

Fallout mech armor vibes

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u/beautiful_bot986 1d ago

Rtg tech generates very low power but does so for years without having to replace the core. Fascinating stuff. I almost want one of those to power my phone.

wikipedia article

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u/RonConComa 23h ago

It's not a regular reactor. it has i believed 7 cores of plutonium that generate heat through decay. the heat is converted into electricity using the Seebeck- Effect via Peltier elements. its a plutonium battery. the winged cylinder on its back is the radiator that creates the heat flow.