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Perhaps this should be 'science in space' but that would be going too far...
The US stopped producing plutonium-238 in the 1980s and NASA
has nearly used up the leftovers from that period. The US Congress has so far
baulked at paying the many millions of dollars it would take to restart
production. This could mean that there will not be enough plutonium-238
for a joint NASA and European Space Agency mission to Jupiter (pictured) and its icy moon,
Europa, which is planned for launch around 2020. ESA now plans to build up an
alternative supply of americium-241. In smoke detectors, the material's decay
helps to make ions that trigger an alarm when smoke particles attach to them. On the downside, it takes more of the stuff to supply one unit of power, which could be a drawback for space missions, in which weight must be kept at a minimum.(16/7/10) Images: Heavens Above / Ultimate Universe
Moonbase living gets one step nearer thanks to NASA
NASA
astronauts will need power sources when they return to the moon and
establish a lunar outpost and engineers are exploring the possibility of
nuclear fission to provide the necessary power. A
fission surface power system on the moon has the potential to generate a steady
40 kilowatts of electric power, enough for about eight houses on Earth. It
works by splitting uranium atoms in a reactor to generate heat that then is
converted into electric power.
Radiation on Jupiter's moons causes 'strange reactions'
How about a nuclear powered space ship? Back in 2003,the US Air Force was examining the feasibility of a nuclear-powered version of an unmanned aircraft. The USAF hoped that such a vehicle would be able to "loiter" in the air for months without refuelling, striking at will when a target comes into its sights.
Fred waits to greet astronauts at space station Waiting for the current astronauts’ arrival is an unusual
space traveller named Fred. He is orbiting Earth aboard the International Space
Station. His job? To keep astronauts safe from space radiation.
How dangerous is Mars trip? Can people go to Mars? Space radiation between Earth and Mars
poses a hazard to astronauts. As we speak, NASA scientists are working to
find out how dangerous it is out there.
Two weeks to get to Mars? Just fuel up those rockets Mars In Just Two Weeks (January 3, 2001)
-- Scientists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have shown that an unusual
nuclear fuel could speed space vehicles from Earth to Mars in as little as two
weeks
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