You Searched For "plutonium 238" and got 20 results
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1 min read
16 plutonium-powered space missions shaping our understanding of space — including the NASA rover that will search for alien life on Mars
Pu-238 is a byproduct of nuclear weapons production. Unlike its sister chemical, plutonium-239 (whi…
Dave Mosher
2 mins read
The 15 most incredible plutonium-powered space missions of all time
NASA and the US Energy Department are working hard to resurrect Pu-238 production capabilities, and…
Dave Mosher
3 mins read
Scientists in the 60s wanted to power fake hearts with plutonium
These safety concerns are the main reason why such a heart could never be made today, but our dwind…
Rebecca Harrington
4 mins read
How atomic bombs work and why Manhattan Project scientists designed two types of bombs during WWII
Atomic bombs work via nuclear fission. When enough radioactive material undergoes fission, it trigg…
Adam Barnes
4 mins read
NASA hopes to get the Voyager spacecraft to their 50th anniversary with clever engineering and difficult choices
Voyager 1 and 2 have traveled deeper into space than any human-made objects. NASA hopes they'll sta…
Jenny McGrath
3 mins read
The science you should understand before seeing 'Oppenheimer'
From the definition of bosons to the difference between fusion and fission, we've compiled a list o…
Katie Hawkinson ,Jenny McGrath
16 mins read
31 Nobel Prize winners had ties to the Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer isn't on the list.
The Manhattan Project employed hundreds of thousands of people, including at least 31 Nobel Prize w…
Jenny McGrath
6 mins read
NASA's deep-space nuclear-power crisis may soon end, thanks to a clever new robot in Tennessee
The neptunium-237 is formed into small pellets, put inside an aluminum sleeve, and slipped inside a…
Dave Mosher
4 mins read
NASA's next $1 billion space mission will be an alien-hunting nuclear helicopter that flies around Saturn's icy moon Titan
In short, the device converts heat energy into electricity. The beating heart of an RTG is a radioa…
Dave Mosher,Aylin Woodward
10 mins read
NASA's future missions to Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and beyond could hit a nuclear roadblock within the next decade
Radiation is a related issue: Many planets and moons whip up powerful electromagnetic fields, which…
Dave Mosher
5 mins read
NASA is about to kill its $3.26 billion Cassini mission - and the last parts to burn up will be what made exploration of Saturn possible
The Cassini probe launched in 1997 as part of a $3.26-billion effort to explore Saturn and its swar…
Dave Mosher
4 mins read
Watch live as NASA engineers build an alien-hunting, nuclear-powered Mars rover that's slated to launch next year
The RTG is the part of the rover that generates energy. The device will be fueled by a rare, human-…
Dave Mosher
1 min read
Nuclear weapons are as confusing as they are deadly - here's what 14 terms that you keep hearing actually mean
It doesn't help that there's more than 60 years' worth of convoluted terminology surrounding the co…
Dave Mosher,Jenny Cheng
3 mins read
NASA's $1 billion Dragonfly drone mission will look for signs of life on Saturn's moon
As well as look for water, carbon compounds, and other signs of potential life. And NASA already ha…
David Anderson,Shira Polan
3 mins read
Russia just announced it's officially going back to the moon
In contrast, the US has turned its attention from the moon to Mars. Some spaceflight experts and en…
Kelly Dickerson
4 mins read
NASA's longest-running Mars mission is over with the presumed death of its Opportunity rover
"If we do not hear back after 45 days, the team will be forced to conclude that the sun-blocking du…
Dave Mosher
4 mins read
NASA's longest-lived robot on Mars isn't calling home. Here's why there's a chance it could be dying.
Little buttons of nuclear material called plutonium-238 help keep Opportunity's circuitry warm, but…
Dave Mosher
2 mins read
Here's What 'Heavy Water' Is, And Why It Matters For Nuclear Weapons
Most nuclear reactors require a much higher percentage of uranium-235 in order to maintain a nuclea…
Andy Kiersz
3 mins read
Researchers had insane plans to build artificial hearts fueled by radioactive decay - with US government money
The nuclear hearts were powered by plutonium-238, an element that emits close to a century's worth …
Ali Sundermier
5 mins read
Hurricane Irma may plow into a site full of Cold War-era nuclear waste
"The Savannah River Site (SRS) is implementing emergency planning and response activities in prepar…