Author: Benjamin Roulston, Assistant Professor of Physics, Clarkson University

Powering spacecraft with solar energy may not seem like a challenge, given how intense the Sun’s light can feel on Earth. Spacecraft near the Earth use large solar panels to harness the Sun for the electricity needed to run their communications systems and science instruments. However, the farther into space you go, the weaker the Sun’s light becomes and the less useful it is for powering systems with solar panels. Even in the inner solar system, spacecraft such as lunar or Mars rovers need alternative power sources. As an astrophysicist and professor of physics, I teach a senior-level aerospace engineering…

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Why does Jupiter look like it has a surface – even though it doesn’t have one? – Sejal, age 7, Bangalore, India The planet Jupiter has no solid ground – no surface, like the grass or dirt you tread here on Earth. There’s nothing to walk on, and no place to land a spaceship. But how can that be? If Jupiter doesn’t have a surface, what does it have? How can it hold together? Even…