Plutonium-238
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Essays on nuclear energy and radioactive waste management
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Resumo
Plutonium-238 is currently still the best fuel to power
satellites to be sent to deep space in regions where the solar panels
can no longer efficiently receive the sunlight. For 50 years, the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has used
this radioisotope as a fuel in radioisotope thermoelectric generators
(RTGs) installed on satellites such as Pioneer 10 and 11, Voyager 1 and
2, Cassini-Huygens and New Horizons, as well as the various rovers
sent to the Moon and to Mars, among others. Plutonium-238 is not a
naturally occurring isotope on the planet, it was produced in greater
quantity during the Cold War period, as a byproduct of the production
of Plutonium-239 used for nuclear bombs. However, after the shutting
down of the Savannah River reactors in 1988 and the ending of the
Soviet Union in 1991, the United States stock of Plutonium-238 has
been increasingly reduced, which threatens NASA’s future space
projects. Commentaries on the options available to the United States,
from restarting the production of this fuel, to possible alternatives for
a new type of fuel or equipment that may supply the spacecrafts, are
also presented.
Como referenciar
SMITH, RICARDO B.; VICENTE, ROBERTO; ROMERO, FERNANDA. Plutonium-238: the fuel crisis. In: SMITH, RICARDO B. (org.). Essays on nuclear energy and radioactive waste management. 1 ed.. São Paulo, SP: Gênio Criador Editora, 2021. , cap. 7. p. 109-117. Disponível em: http://repositorio.ipen.br/handle/123456789/33813. Acesso em: 30 Dec 2025.
Esta referência é gerada automaticamente de acordo com as normas do estilo IPEN/SP (ABNT NBR 6023) e recomenda-se uma verificação final e ajustes caso necessário.