Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

ESA Plans to Use Nuclear Waste Batteries to Power Deep Space Exploration

ESA Plans to Use Nuclear Waste Batteries to Power Deep Space Exploration

The US used nuclear waste to power their Voyager probes, launched in the 1970s; the Cassini-Huygens probe, launched in 1997; and just recently the Mars Curiosity rover.The idea is that nuclear waste gives of heat for many years, and that heat can be used to keep a craft warm in the depths of space, so that it doesn’t freeze up, and also to produce electricity to power on-board systems.The European Space Agency (ESA) is very interested in this technology as a means to power its long-range spacecraft. NASA generally uses plutonium-238, however…Read more...http://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/ESA-Plans-to-Use-Nuclear-Waste-Batteries-to-Power-Deep-Space-Exploration.html

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