XPost: sci.astro.amateur   
   From: rodrigo.cunha@corp.vodafone.pt   
      
   Probably both, but mostly engineering.   
      
   RTGs generate a LOT of heat, witch would be difficult to deal with   
   inside the closed reentry shell of that small probe.   
      
   For instance, an RTG generating 200W eletric power generates >2000W heat   
   power.   
      
   It's also heavy, generates radiation, witch is bad for the   
   instruments... etc.   
      
   Tim Killian wrote:   
   > Was the lack of an RTG on Huygens a political decision, or a true   
   > engineering limitation?   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   > Scott M. Kozel wrote:   
   >   
   >   
   >>   
   >> The Huygens spacecraft could not utilize an RTG or solar power, so it   
   >> was limited to un-rechargable batteries, and given the number of   
   >> instruments on board, battery capacity was limited to a matter of hours.   
   >>   
   >   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)