The Problem of Power in Space. NASA s New Kilopower Reactor
Space is the worst. It’s got hostile radiation, a total lack of atmosphere, near absolute zero temperatures, problematic gravity wells, and worse. In order to keep your spacecraft alive in that environment, you need electricity to keep it warm. Not to mention all the power to run scientific instruments and the transmitters to send that data home. Getting enough power in space is a big problem. Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Video Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/bh/podcast/universe-today-video/id794057165?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/video What Fraser s Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Support us at: http://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: http://www.universetoday.com/ Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+universetoday/ Instagram - http://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com Chloe Cain - Instagram: @chloegwen2001 References: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/solar_arrays-about.html http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2018/05/30_efficiency_solar_cell https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/technology/is_severe_environments.html https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/voyager-mission-anniversary-rtg-radioisotope-thermoelectric-generator/ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4818 https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=distance+to+voyager+1+in+light+hours https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/spacecraft/instruments/rtg/ https://mars.nasa.gov/files/mep/MMRTG_Jan2008.pdf https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/19/17138924/nasa-discovery-program-radioisotope-thermoelectric-generators-plutonium-238 http://spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=51241 http://www.businessinsider.com/nuclear-powered-satellites-space-2016-3 https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/ns_kilopower_fs_180111.pdf http://www.nnl.co.uk/media/1921/nnl-tech-conference-15-fcs-zara-hodgson.pdf http://fly.historicwings.com/2013/01/the-nuclear-disaster-of-kosmos-954/ https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/kilopower/
