I think that the current ion drives are solar powered. There isn't a whole lot of solar energy out by pluto.
There was a NASA effort to use nuclear power to run an ion engine, named Project Prometheus, however funding has all but disapeared.
Quote:
Wasn't Cassini nuclear-powered, also? The probe they launched back in...erm...'98 maybe? I remember it from childhood, but would have to look up the date.
|
Cassini, Voyager 1&2, Pioneer 10&11, 6 Apollo missions, and several other NASA projects have used radioactive decay for power. The Martian Rovers used a similar technology to keep themselves warm
[ 01-17-2006, 06:22 PM: Message edited by: Seraph ]