From: desimone8@comcast.net   
      
   > I'll try asking this again.  I cannot find the reasons why the two   
   > Lunokhod rovers "died".  I assume it had to do with battery charging   
   > after the long lunar night.  If we used some means to keep the battery   
   > warm, like some sort of isotope heater, how much more life could we get   
   > out of a rover today?   
      
   In short, Lunokhod 2 died due to overheating during the lunar day caused by   
   lunar soil getting accidentally dumped onto its heat radiators.  For a more   
   detailed explanation, see the excellent article, "The Other Moon Landings"   
   by Andrew Chaikin in the March 2004 issue of Air and Space magazine (page   
   30).   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)