Thread: Phoenix on Mars
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Old 07-August-2008, 10:38 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sohh_fly View Post
what i mean is why are they not reusable ovens is that not a possibility ?
is there or could they not have a cleaning process for the ovens to be used multiple xxxxx's
That would make the equipment heavier and more complex. Thus other instruments might need to be sacrificed, and there would be more parts that might fail. It might be possible, but not feasible within the mass budget, and perhaps not the financial budget either.

Maybe it could be fun for you to try to think of all possible solutions to clear previous samples from the oven doors, grid, sensors, and the tiny oven itself, so they wouldn't contaminate new samples. It has to work in extreme cold and in what basically amounts to almost a vacuum. Then try to guess how small it could be built, and guess how much it would weigh, and how much power it would require. Then look up how that compares to the current instruments.
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