NASA Running Low On Fuel For Space Exploration

smooth wombat writes "With the end of the Cold War came warmer relations with old adversaries, increased trade and a world less worried about nuclear war. It also brought with it an unexpected downside: lack of nuclear fuel to power deep space probes. Without this fuel, probes beyond Jupiter won't work because there isn't enough sunlight to use solar panels, which probes closer to the sun use. The fuel NASA relies on to power deep space probes is plutonium-238. This isotope is the result of nuclear weaponry, and since the United States has not made a nuclear device in 20 years, the supply has run out. For now, NASA is using Soviet supplies, but they too are almost exhausted. It is estimated it will cost at least $150 million to resume making the 11 pounds per year that is needed for space probes."

Comments

This wouldn't be a problem if...

[JoshuaZ]

We allowed breeder reactors or nuclear reprocessing at civilian reactors.

Re:This wouldn't be a problem if...

[JoshuaZ]

Most civilian reactors aren't breeder reactors because of the danger of nuclear proliferation. They still produce tiny amounts of plutonium 238, but not in large quantities. Similarly, there isn't much in the way of nuclear reprocessing. The countries which are the exceptions have generally been countries that want to have lots of nukes. The French don't have that much that would help out. At this point, India or China might though.

Plenty of Warheads to Reprocess

[Deus777]

The US still has plenty of nuclear warheads that could be retired and their plutonium used for this purpose, unless for some reason the fuel has degraded.
President Obama has suggested additional reductions in nuclear arms held by the US and Russia, so perhaps the plutonium from those could be used.
Or perhaps NASA could adapt their generators to use plutonium 239, which they could get from a Fast Breeder reactor, if we ever build one.

Re:Beam energy?

[CastrTroy]

Except that they don't actually travel in a straight line away from the sun. They use the slingshot effect to travel a couple orbits around the sun and build up lots of speed. It would probably be very hard to aim the laser the correctly on a moving target millions of miles away.

Re:buy it from North Korea or Iran

[cayenne8]

"And funding his nuclear weapons program."

Why not fund our own nuclear power plants programs? Build more plants. Build the breeder reactors (and the newer reprocessing tech)...and along the lines, maybe a little of the 238 stuff can come off the line for NASA?

First, we need to repeal the Carter ban on such nuclear reprocessing...and then, start building nuke power plants.

Re:sounds pretty bogus

[LWATCDR]

Uhh.. No your wrong.
Really RTGs are actually simple, cheap, and effective. Solar will not work well past the orbit of Mars, Reactors are more expensive, complex, and weigh more.
So sparky you tell me what can produce power for years without much light, heat, or air, and has a mass of less then 60 kgs?
Oh and "I am sure they can think of something" is not an answer.

Re:buy it from North Korea or Iran

[Belial6]

Given the amount of propaganda that people right here in the US go for hook line and sinker, it would seem shocking to find that a good portion of the North Korean people don't believe a good portion of what they are being told.

Re:Research.

[LWATCDR]

Holy freaking Hanna!
Okay lets take a look at what this "New energy source" has to do.
1. Supply several hundred watts for at least a decade without refueling. RTGs from the 70s are still working and the probes that use them still sending data.
2. Work in a vacuum.
3. Work in the Dark.
4. Work in the extreme cold of the outer solar system.
5. Be light An RTG has a mass of under 60 kg.
6. Dependable. Must work for decades with nobody to fix it.

Just what the heck do you think can do that that isn't an RTG?
We don't have working fusion so we are left with reactors but they are not as light or as simple as RTGs.
More mass means a bigger launch vehicle. That means a lot more money and fewer missions.

I love the way people on Slashdot are so willing to make comments like "They just need to find a replacment". Doesn't anybody ever consider that fact that this is the best solution there is without some massive technical leap? And that technical leap may be many decades away if it ever comes!

Re:Gee, I didn't see that coming!

[Schemat1c]

The 'Propaganda' you refer to is generally about far-away places and events, and therefor any contrast with reality would not be apparent.

No. American propaganda is alive and well but it has different goals. Korea is about obeying and serving your god-like leader. American is about consuming and consuming and is so successful that it's very difficult to get people to even see it.

One good method is to go backpacking for a month. You'd be amazed at how obvious and vulgar it all is when you return to 'civilization'.