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There are plenty of nuclear reactors already in space. The Voyager probes are famously powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators, and even the Persever
by alex_young 4y ago
There are plenty of nuclear reactors already in space. The Voyager probes are famously powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators, and even the Perseverance lander mentioned in the article is powered by one. Full list here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_power_systems_in_space https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_power_systems_...
- aqme28 4y agoThose are much much smaller than the nuclear reactors that parent comment is talking about. A totally different beast.
- elihu 4y agoInterestingly the biggest reactors (mostly 2kw and a few 5kw) were deployed by the Soviet Union. Presumably they just didn't care about the safety risks. The risks weren't purely theoretical either. They had one nuclear-powered satellite that re-entered over Canada. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_954 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_954
- midoridensha 4y agoThose aren't "reactors". They're just lumps of plutonium that are decaying naturally and producing heat. A reactor has to be able to control a fission reaction; these can't. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_ge...