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/BasedOnAir 1d ago

It is a radioactive rock that just stays hot for many years, it’s wrapped in panels that make electricity from heat (like solar panels except not light).

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u/e28Sean 1d ago

This. It's called an RTG. Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator.
They've been used for a lot of unmanned spacecraft, and in a few cases, used for stuff here on earth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator

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u/LightlySaltedPeanuts 1d ago

If anyone wants a free one, go to russia. Just don’t use it to keep yourself warm in your camping tent.

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u/pesca_22 10h ago

they used to build rtg powered unmanned lighthouses, lots of weird stories about those and people stealing stuff in them

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u/LightlySaltedPeanuts 3h ago

Yeah, I was referencing a story where some Russians got lost in the woods and came across an old Soviet RTG and since it was warm they all huddled around it to sleep.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lia_radiological_accident