Question

1. nasa has sent several different types of spacecrafts to mars in the last 40 years. each craft was designed for specific mission goals and to obtain different types of scientific information. the table below includes some information about some of the spacecrafts that have landed on mars.

engineers have implemented two different solutions to power sources for rovers and landers that are operating on mars surface. each mars rover and lander includes its own unique power system, based on the constraints engineers consider when designing the power systems for each particular mars mission. these constraints include cost, safety, reliability, and environmental impact.
evaluate and compare the two different power sources by describing one benefit and one drawback of each power source used on mars spacecraft based on one criteria found in the table.
solar panel benefit:
solar panel drawback:
radioactive battery benefit:
radioactive battery drawback:

Explanation:

• Solar panel benefit: Looking at the cost in the table, solar - panel - powered spacecraft (Spirit rover: 400 million dollars, Phoenix Mars lander: 420 million dollars, Mars InSight lander: 829 million dollars) generally have a lower cost compared to radioactive - battery - powered ones (Curiosity rover: 2500 million dollars, Perseverance rover: 2400 million dollars).
• Solar panel drawback: The Phoenix Mars lander (a solar - panel - powered craft) had a mission length of less than 0.5 years. In contrast, radioactive - battery - powered rovers (Curiosity and Perseverance) have a 14 - year mission length. Solar panels may be more affected by Mars' weather (e.g., dust storms that can block sunlight), limiting mission duration.
• Radioactive battery benefit: As mentioned above, radioactive - battery - powered rovers (Curiosity and Perseverance) have a long mission length (14 years). Radioactive batteries can provide a more consistent power supply over a long period, not being as dependent on external conditions (like sunlight for solar panels).
• Radioactive battery drawback: Radioactive batteries are more expensive. For example, Curiosity (2500 million dollars) and Perseverance (2400 million dollars) cost much more than solar - panel - powered craft. Also, there are safety and environmental concerns (though not directly from the table, but a common drawback of radioactive materials - if there was a leak, it could be harmful to the Martian environment or future human missions).

Answer:

• Solar panel benefit: Lower cost (e.g., compared to radioactive - battery - powered craft in the table).
• Solar panel drawback: Shorter mission length (e.g., Phoenix Mars lander).
• Radioactive battery benefit: Longer mission length (e.g., Curiosity and Perseverance rovers).
• Radioactive battery drawback: Higher cost (e.g., compared to solar - panel - powered craft in the table).