I don't think a shape memory alloy would provide a shock. I suspect they are solenoids(vs explosive bolts) used to detach the vehicle from it's mounting plate on the rocket. and the engineers as they went down the list trying increasingly wild ideas to get the antenna to deploy reached "fire the release solenoids, and hope it shakes the antenna pin in the correct way".
It did, so slow clap for the engineers for saving a very expensive science experiment remotely from billions of miles away. well done.
It did, so slow clap for the engineers for saving a very expensive science experiment remotely from billions of miles away. well done.