Plutonium-238 that continuously releases heat (IMAGE)

Nuclear Science and Techniques

Plutonium-238 that continuously releases heat

Caption

Deep space exploration faces the challenge of continuous energy supply.  Plutonium-238 (238Pu) undergoes α- decay with a half-life of 87.7 years and an average ray energy of 5.49 MeV, which can continuously release heat and provide a heat source for this scenario.   (https://doi.org/10.1007/s41365-024-01461-x)

Credit

Dr. Qingquan Pan

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License

CC BY-NC

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