Here's The Cool Technology That Keeps Curiosity Roving Through The DayNASA's Curiosity rover is being powered by a rod of a Plutonium 238 isotope. This is different than previous Mars rovers, which were powered by solar panels.
The technology, called a radioisotope thermoelectric generator, is actually a relatively old innovation used as far back as the Apollo missions.
It works by converting heat generated off the rod's radioactive decay into energy.
http://www.businessinsider.com/nasas-ma ... wer-2012-8OK - they put a nuke on Mars.... .:.