The 1960s Tech Keeping NASA’s Voyager Probes Alive for Nearly 50 Years

The Solar Energy Space Ship may not seem to be difficult to see how strong the light of the sun can feel on earth. Space Ship near the Earth Use the great solar panels to use the sun for the electricity needed to manage communication systems and science tools.

But the space you go, the sunlight becomes weaker and is less useful for system systems with solar panels. Even in the internal solar system, the spacecraft needs alternative power sources such as lines or Mars Rovers.

Like Astrophysic and physics professorI teach a high-level aerospace engineering course in a space environment. One of the main lessons that I have highlighted my students can be only forgiven. The spacecraft endured innovative solutions to strengthen radiation and temperature from scratch to the dense sunrise, radiation and temperature above zero.

Thus, how are engineers how much power missions are the exterior and edge of our solar system? The solution is technology based on scientific principles found two centuries ago in the 1960s: radioisotop thermoelectrical generatorsor rtgs.

Rtgs are essentially a nuclear batteries. However, unlike TV AAA batteries, TVGs can provide up to hundreds of millions of millions of millions of millions of millions of millions of ten years.

Nuclear power

Radioisotop thermoelectric generators do not trust chemical reactions Like batteries on your phone. Instead, they rely on radioactive decay to produce heat and eventually. This concept sounds similar to a Nuclear power plantRTGS works on a different principle.

Most RTGs are used Plutonium-238 As a source of energy that cannot be used for nuclear power plants, it does not provide fission reactions. Instead, Plutonium-238 is an unstable element that will pass radioactive decay.

Radioactive decayOr nuclear decay, an unstable atomic nucleus, a self-unstable atomic nucleus and random particles and energy to get a more stable configuration. This process is often caused by changing the element to another element, because the core protons may lose.

When plutonium-238 decay, it’s Alpha particlesconsisting of two protons and two neutrons. When the plutonium launches an alpha-238, 92 protons, which began with 94 protons, disappearing two protons from 92 protons and turns two protons to Uranus-234.

These alpha particles interact with a material around the heating plutonium, which heated the material. The radioactive decay of Plutonium-238 leaves enough energy that it can shine from its temperature, and it is a strong heat that is a source of energy to strengthen an RTG.

Heat as power

Radioisotope can use a heat to be used by a basic called Seebeck effect found by thermoelectric generators German scientist Thomas Seebeck in 1821. As an additional benefit, heat Some of the RTGS types An electronic and deep mission can help other components warm and work.

In the main form, the Seebeck effect describes a current when the two wires differ from different combining materials in one loop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-puj0uj0uyuc

The facilities using this principle are called Thermoelectric couples or thermocupes. These thermocupls allow power to produce electricity from the difference between RTGs Plutonium-238 decay, the temperature created by the temperature and cold cold.

Radioisotop thermoelectric generator design

The main radioisotopic generator has a plutonium-238 container, which provides additional security in the thermoelectric generator, often providing additional security in the event of an accident, often provides additional security. Plutonium material surrounded by a protective layer foil insulation Where the thermocoupes are placed in a large number. All assembly is inside the protective aluminum body.

The interior of one side of RTG and thermocupls is hot – 1000 degrees close to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit (538 degrees Celsius) – Another side of RTG and thermocupls is exposed to space. In this outside, the space sheet can be slightly cold Fahrenheit a few hundred degrees below zero.

This powerful temperature difference allows RTG’s heat to turn into electricity without radioactive decay. This electricity, all kinds of space ships, scientific tools from communication systems to Rovers in Mars, Including five current NASA mission.

But don’t get too excited to get a rtg for your home. They can only produce one with existing technology A few hundred watt power. Can be sufficient to strengthen a standard laptop, but Video games are not enough to play with a strong GPU.

For deep space missions, this pair is a thousand watts.

The true benefit of RTGs is the ability to provide predictable and consistent power. The plutonium is stable for radioactive decay – every day for ten years. About 90 years, only half plutonium will decay in an RTG. An RTG does not require any moving parts to generate electricity, which is less likely to break or stop working.

In addition, they are Excellent security recordAnd they are designed to survive their normal use and be safe in the event of an accident.

RTGS in the activity

RTGS is the key to the success of NASA’s solar system and many deep space missions. This Mars interest and perseverance rovers and New horizons Space ship In 2015, it is used in all RTGS that visit Pluto. New horizons are out of the solar system that RTGs will provide power in areas where there are no solar panels.

However, the missions do not seize RTGs as many Voyager missions. NASA, twin space ship Voyager received Voyager 2 in 1 and 1977 Tour of the foreign solar system And then go beyond him.

Every craft was equipped with three RTGsIt provides a total of 470 watts for starting. It has been almost 50 years since the start of Voyager probes and both are active science missions, Collection and sending data.

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, 15.5 billion miles from the ground (about 25 billion miles and 21 billion kilometers and 21 billion kilometers), make them Objects that are far from the fact that so far. Even RTGS also provides them consistent power on these extreme distances.

This spacecraft is a testament for the invention of engineers who prepared RTGs for the first time in the early 1960s.

Benjamin RoulstonPhysical associate professor, University of Clarkson. This article is republished Conversation Under the Creative Commons license. Read original article.