Skip to main content

mastodon - Link to source
Solar panels become less effective the farther spacecraft travel from the Sun. For missions to the outer solar system and beyond, NASA uses RTGs - nuclear-powered batteries that can provide consistent electricity for decades. An astrophysicist explains: theconversation.com/radioisoto… 🛰️ #space

Radioisotope generators − inside the ‘nuclear batteries’ that power faraway spacecraft

When a spacecraft is too far from the Sun to use solar panels, it needs a different reliable source of power.
The Conversation
#Space
in reply to The Conversation U.S.

Marcus Adams
mastodon - Link to source
Marcus Adams
• •
I want a nuclear battery that runs for decades; would be better than paying $200-$400 a month for electricity and having to run a generator every time it rains or snows.
⇧