3 ms·
I wonder how long we could make an RTG last today
by whamlastxmas 2y ago
I wonder how long we could make an RTG last today
- 93po 2y agowiki has the answer, ballpark is around twice as long, and they're using this new design for an upcoming probe
- Sanzig 2y agoFundamentally there isn't any change in the underlying physics. You're limited by the half life of the isotope, so you either choose a longer-lived isotope (which actually may be even harder post Cold War as much of the ideal isotopes were byproducts of nuclear weapons manufacturing) or launch a bigger RTG than you need so you have enough power later on in the mission.
- 93po 2y agoyep i think the newer ones use a different fuel that is longer lived, and advances in tech around it make it more viable than it was decades ago
- daedrdev 2y agoI think the more interesting thing is its suddenly become so much cheaper to put things in orbit, we could simply put a larger satellite with a larger nuclear battery out there.