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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."
Or if that wont work it looks like there is a decent chance we'll be able to buy some from the Taliban soon.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
In news unrelated to their shortage of plutonium, NASA is also looking for a buyer for a shiny bomb casing full of used pinball machine parts...
Michael Coyne
http://turthalion.blogspot.com
Given that nuclear reprocessing plants, such as Sellafield, supplied a lot of weapons material for the British nuclear program, I'd be astonished if these could not extract all of the plutonium needed from those fuel rods that have been recycled this way.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
We allowed breeder reactors or nuclear reprocessing at civilian reactors.
Can't wind farms and solar energy suffice?
No. Wind farms work on the relative velocity between the ground and the atmosphere, but in space, there's no ground and almost no atmosphere. And the summary states: "there isn't enough sunlight to use solar panels".
I know Sr-90 is often also used in similar devices (mainly Russian ones), any reason why we can't switch to that?
Necessity is the mother of all invention. Lets take this opportunity to find a new method of powering probes for such long distance missions.
problem is they will most likely want to deliver it themselves.
i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
You're right. About the first part.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
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.
Weapons-grade plutonium is made by refining nuclear waste in a reactor. This process reduces nuclear waste by 95%, but is frowned upon by the major nuclear powers because it produces weapons-grade plutonium, and no one wants to be manufacturing bomb-making material. They've been doing it since the 1940's so its not new or anything. The problem is also that such manufacture is illegal on an international scale.
The article says that P-238 is used as a power source because of the heat is causes during decay. Surely someone could come up with a better power source for these probes than a rare isotope. I'm not even sure than this plutonium could be manufactured by refining nuclear waste, since that process produces P-239.
And over there we have the labyrinth guards. One always lies, one always tells the truth, and one stabs people who ask t
No, remember, Uranus is where the sun doesn't shine.
Canada: The US's more awesome sibling.
I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that, in addition to the electricity needed to run cameras, sensors, the main CPU of the probes, and radio, etc, that part of the reason to use radioactive materials to power these deep space probes was to keep them warm enough that they could actually still operate? Doesn't the probe have to heat itself somehow?
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.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
There is a source available. Just decommission a few nuclear warheads each year. Since the US has enough nuclear weapons to basically end civilization, I suspect some could be spared without meaningfully degrading national security.
War! Huh! What is it good for?
Space exploration, apparently.
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.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
> That's because those isotopes were created the last time the sun went nova...
Speak for yourself. Our sun has never gone nova.
Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
To all the smart alecks, no they can't use weapons grade plutonium, which is 239, they need 238, which has a much shorter half-life (88 y compared to 24100 y) and therefore gives off much more energy. They don't need an isoptope that is fissile, they need one with a short half-life.
That's what your body thetans want you to think.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
[wavy lines, as we look into the crystal ball ...]
North Korea has threatened to carry out nuclear missile tests unless the UN Security Council apologises for its "unseemly snickering" at their recent rocket launch falling into the sea.
"The communications satellite was successfully launched and is fulfilling its mission, sending transmissions from Pacific Ocean life in deep space," a Pyongyang communique said today. "If the UN does not take back its grievous slanders, we will be forced to retaliate with the full force of our mighty nuclear arsenal. Our dad will beat up your dad too."
North Korea conducted its first and only nuclear test in 2006, described as "completely successful" and "revealing new dimensions in gunpowder science."
North Korea's foreign ministry also said "the UN should apologise for infringing our sovereignty, retract all its resolutions and decisions against us and stop being big meanies. It's so unfair!"
It also announced plans to build a light-water nuclear reactor, a domestic robot, a flying car and a "really cool thing we haven't finished drawing yet, but expect to have ready soon as our great nation continues to make tremendous advances in crayon science."
Dear Leader Kim Jong-Il announced a glorious 30% increase in industrial output and a 35% increase in food production as the cardboard ran out and the factories started shaping raw contaminated mud into loaves. South Korea sighed at the news and looked forward to a peace dividend similar to that reaped by Germany in 1990 when the North finally collapses and they have to clean up the mess.
http://rocknerd.co.uk
Actually they have been trying to get funding to get PU 238 production started again for about 5 years. This isn't a last minute thing. Also NASA has no control over Pu 238 that is under the AEC and NASA has been asking them for more for several years. The buying it from Russia was their solution.
The thing is that there is NOTHING really better than an RTG powered by Pu 238.
As far as snide the original post was made with both a massive influx of arrogance and ignorance.
Pu238 is as close to a perfect fuel for an RTG as you can get.
1. It is an Alpha emitter. That means it is easy to shield and the shielding actually converts the alpha emissions to heat.
2. It has a very high energy density.
Nothing else comes close.
The solution is to start making more Pu 238 the problem is NASA can't.
Yes finding a solution is part of their job but the current answer will be fewer space probes. There isn't some super cool new tech that can work as well or better than an RTG and to spout off about how they should find on is the height of arrogance.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
"I'm sure that in 1985 plutonium is available in every corner drug store, but in 1955 it's a little hard to come by."
This about Pu-238 for use in thermoelectric generators. Pu-239 does not produce enough heat.
Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
I expected a cheap shot like this, so here's my answer:
The 'Propaganda' you refer to is generally about far-away places and events, and therefor any contrast with reality would not be apparent.
These people are being fed bullshit about the workings of their daily lives, and are required to participate in the lies or be hauled off to the gulag. There is a big difference between 'stoopid americans falling for propaganda about WMD/Iraq Lollerskates!!11Lol!' and Koreans believing or not believing the nonsense they're told, or participate in, each day, about matters that directly affect every waking moment.
Clear enough?
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be the name of a store, not a government agency.
Wrong.
Wrong wrong wrong.
Pu-238 â Pu 239.
Pu-239 is what is used in warheads. It's rather stable (half life of ~24,000 years) but is a fissile substance which you can assemble into a supercritical form.
Pu-238 is relatively unstable (half life of ~88 years), so it gives off quite a bit of heat as it breaks down. Thus, it is used for RTGs (Radioisotope Thermal Generators).
Different isotopes are different.
Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
It looks like their stocks are literally decaying away!
Bwahahahahahaha...ahaha...ha...ha..h
Yeah, I'll get my coat.
FGD 135
Solar will not work well past the orbit of Mars
Actually, NASA is building a Jupiter space probe now called Juno that uses solar panels. Quoting the article:
Advancement in solar cell technology and efficiency over the past several decades now makes it economically feasible to use solar panels of practical size to provide power so far from the Sun.
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