4 ms·
Yeah, I thought about doing something like that, but that would make many parallel power-generating units that would only last as long as one unit wouldn't it?
by griffzhowl 1y ago
Yeah, I thought about doing something like that, but that would make many parallel power-generating units that would only last as long as one unit wouldn't it? Maybe the individual units could be subdivided further and the subunits could be brought together only when a previous unit runs out of power. I don't know enough about how it would actually work
- ben_w 1y agoI don't think so. The radioisotope itself is an exponential decay, and only goes faster when critical, not when subdivided; the part I'm not sure about is the thermocouple and why that decays.
- griffzhowl 1y agoI see. So the maximum time these units could provide power is the time it would take a subcritical mass to decay to the point that it's no longer useful. So the idea is unworkable for powering very long journeys
- ben_w 1y agoVery long journies, eventually everything fails. I suspect that we don't have enough practical experience to be confident of any space mission lasting 100 years even when the power supply is fine. But also, there are other radioisotopes besides the one currently used. The ~90 year half life of the current normal radioisotope is great for current missions, not the only option.