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Why can't my fridge be powered this way The MMRTG is a cylinder 25" in diameter and 26" high, it's going to seriously impact space in your 'fridge. Plus it wei

Why can't my fridge be powered this way The MMRTG is a cylinder 25" in diameter and 26" high, it's going to seriously impact space in your 'fridge. Plus it weighs nearly 100 lbs. It outputs around 100W of power, which might be enough for a small refrigerator, but it also emits around 2000W of thermal energy, so your kitchen's going to get a little warm (probably a good thing in the winter, not so much in summer). Though probably the biggest drawback is the cost -- the MMRTG costs around $100M to manufacture. The US Department of Energy makes the plutonium for it.

TeMPOraL 6y ago
And, if you somehow manage to procure one to power your fridge and complete all the necessary paperwork for it to be legal, you'll be on the radar of pretty much every single three and four-letter agency in your country. Not just the obvious ones (checking if you aren't selling plutonium or making a dirty bomb), but also health agencies (what if it leaks and someone eats it?), environmental agencies (what if it leaks and gets into groundwater?), child protective services (are you really storing nuclear material in reach of children?!), drug enforcement (are these parties near your "glo fridge" legal and above board?)... On the bright side, as the joke goes, being on the radar of government agencies is a good way to deter criminals from robbing your house.
lostlogin 6y ago
According to the below, The Perseverance could potentially give you a dose of 210 milligram in an accident. That’s not as much as I’d have thought, though would make getting the milk from the nuclear fridge a little hazardous. https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/rover/electrical-power/ https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/rover/electrical-p...
- cosmonaughty 6y ago
  Galen Windsor and his colleagues worked elbow deep in plutonium and uranium for years. None of them ever got sick. There are some old Galen Windsor videos on YouTube. He traveled around the country eating uranium in front of his students and audience. The EPA of his day had hissy fits. Great stuff!
  - JaimeThompson 6y ago
    Eating unprocessed uranium order that isn't giving off very much radiation is a bit different. It just passes out of his body without bioaccumulating. Source for the claim he worked around plutonium "elbow deep" please.
    - cosmonaughty 6y ago
      If it was so harmless why was the government fining him and declaring his house a dangerous environmental disaster? This is a rhetorical question pointing out the non sequitur nature of your claim on bioaccumulation. No source will be provided. You can do your own research instead of patronizing me with your assumptions. When I post a link to a source, I get hare brained responses as to why the reader refuses to open the link. If I don't post a link to the source, I get a request for the source. Either way I get gang stalked by NASA fan boiz maliciously flagging my comments. Every comment I have posted has been flagged. I already informed you there are old Galen Windsor videos and you know where to find them. And I will say it one more time. Perseverance did not land on Mars. It's a cartoon.
m4rtink 6y ago
There are more efficient Stirling Engine based RTGs in prototype phase that would be a much better fit for your fridge as they could run the compressor directly. And also add a nice nuclear-steampunk flair to the whole thing. :)

TeMPOraL 6y ago

And, if you somehow manage to procure one to power your fridge and complete all the necessary paperwork for it to be legal, you'll be on the radar of pretty much every single three and four-letter agency in your country. Not just the obvious ones (checking if you aren't selling plutonium or making a dirty bomb), but also health agencies (what if it leaks and someone eats it?), environmental agencies (what if it leaks and gets into groundwater?), child protective services (are you really storing nuclear material in reach of children?!), drug enforcement (are these parties near your "glo fridge" legal and above board?)... On the bright side, as the joke goes, being on the radar of government agencies is a good way to deter criminals from robbing your house.

lostlogin 6y ago

According to the below, The Perseverance could potentially give you a dose of 210 milligram in an accident. That’s not as much as I’d have thought, though would make getting the milk from the nuclear fridge a little hazardous. https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/rover/electrical-power/ https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/rover/electrical-p...

cosmonaughty 6y ago
Galen Windsor and his colleagues worked elbow deep in plutonium and uranium for years. None of them ever got sick. There are some old Galen Windsor videos on YouTube. He traveled around the country eating uranium in front of his students and audience. The EPA of his day had hissy fits. Great stuff!
- JaimeThompson 6y ago
  Eating unprocessed uranium order that isn't giving off very much radiation is a bit different. It just passes out of his body without bioaccumulating. Source for the claim he worked around plutonium "elbow deep" please.
  - cosmonaughty 6y ago
    If it was so harmless why was the government fining him and declaring his house a dangerous environmental disaster? This is a rhetorical question pointing out the non sequitur nature of your claim on bioaccumulation. No source will be provided. You can do your own research instead of patronizing me with your assumptions. When I post a link to a source, I get hare brained responses as to why the reader refuses to open the link. If I don't post a link to the source, I get a request for the source. Either way I get gang stalked by NASA fan boiz maliciously flagging my comments. Every comment I have posted has been flagged. I already informed you there are old Galen Windsor videos and you know where to find them. And I will say it one more time. Perseverance did not land on Mars. It's a cartoon.

m4rtink 6y ago

There are more efficient Stirling Engine based RTGs in prototype phase that would be a much better fit for your fridge as they could run the compressor directly. And also add a nice nuclear-steampunk flair to the whole thing. :)