NASA Needs Plutonium! (And it's Running Out)

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Todd Umhoefer (Old Earth)

References:

[passthebutterrobot]

Why don't NASA just return to Pluto & bring back some more?

[PhysicsPolice]

Along these lines, there has been work on advanced Stirling radioisotope generators [1] weighing in at half the mass of traditional RTGs and running on a quarter the fuel.

[robertfletcher]

Buy some from Pyongyang they must have some to spare.

[lvphhsl]

ESA is looking at Americium 241. Only 1/4 the energy density and a bit more problematic than 238 but half-life is 430 years and it is very plentiful, commonly found in it's pure form in nuclear waste. Unlike 238 which is not really produced in any way as a side product. Not in useful quantities. 238 is still vastly preferable though.

[micachimera]

How much can we pull out of nuclear weapon cores?

[alecapristrudel]

RTGs actually produce enough heat that cooling a spacecraft may be a bigger issue than keeping it warm. There's no air in space to conduct the heat away, and radiating it is the only way to get rid of it and that's the slowest way to do it

[dannysulyma]

Get Ambassador Rodman to ask his buddy, Rocketman, if he has any that he could contribute. ;-)

[dasanjos]

I like the new format. Short and to the point

[jacksprat]

Nasa doesn't need plutonium. Like Mars it Needs Moms.

[ReaperUnreal]

Could be time for NASA to work on those theoretical diamond carbon-14 batteries.

[Paul-wmyv]

Whoa👌
Never took interest in this topic nor will I in the future but i felt entertained and feel smarter now

[rogue]

Oak Ridge National Labs has already begun producing more

[theamazingsolt]

The current RTG technology does a pretty bad job of converting the energy given off from the plutonium to electricity. There have been program trying to develop a Stirling Engine mechanism to do this more efficiently. This is a great idea because if the engine which provides electricity is twice as efficient then the missions using it will need half as much plutonium. Google Stirling radioisotope generator if you're interested

[houstonpromotion]

They should’ve put solar panels on the voyagers anyway so once it reaches some light of some sort it will kick back on

[WATERDOG]

Why can't they use the Plutonium 239 isotope? There is a lot of it sitting around from dismantled nuclear weapons.

[AngloFrancoDane]

Good stuff, and the eyebrows are amazing!

[AliHSyed]

imagine a pacemaker with Plutonium in it.. fck'n badass

[phynx]

"For eternity" or until it hits the wall (end of the universe) then it will fall onto the universe floor. Hey don't laugh, you don't know, hahahaha

[jeffreyyoung]

Return Pluto's status to a planet, and you might get some more!

[graftongodofmemes]

Ummm isn't pu 238 being constantly made in nuckear reactors? It's a part of high level waste, ain't it?