131
Americium: How a small element could power the next century of space exploration
(interestingengineering.com)
this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2025
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Technology
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You think thermoelectric generators are going to struggle with low temperatures?
If there's one thing we can practically guarantee, it's the heat output lol
I'm not an engineer in this space, so i'll leave it to more knowledgeable people to poke holes in my argument.
I see what you did there.
Not thermoelectrics, but sterling engines. But fair point about the heat.
Voyager I and II are 48 years old running on thermoelectric generators. that’s amazing. They are winding down because the half life of plutonium means there is much less power than when new.
I can see future probes lasting even longer with americium as a fuel source
But introducing moving parts for a sterling engine? In space? And expect it to last like that? Seems unlikely