>> What made that possible? (Special shielding?, unique
>> manufacturing technique?, rare pcb designs?)
>
>one common trick (not highly publicised for obvious reasons)
>is to use radioactive heating to keep stuff warm.

Not directly - also for obvious reasons.

What IS done (on Voyager, Pioneer, the Mars orbiters, and any other deep 
space probe) is a radioactive thermopile which generates electricity to run 
the spacecraft. Power from this is then used for survival heaters where 
necessary. 

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