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NASA faces no-go, needs plutonium for missions

news.com.au — NASA faces a bleak future since the end of the Cold War, as the space agency is running out of nuclear fuel - plutonium-238 - needed for its deep space exploration.

Who dugg this? Made popular May 8, 2009

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  • mynameisjudge, on 05/08/2009, -4/+71Get them from the Libyan.
  • Wypie, on 05/08/2009, -6/+56I'm sure that in 1985, plutonium is available at every corner drug store, but in 2009, it's a
    little hard to come by. NASA, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you're stuck here.
  • Shagin, on 05/08/2009, -1/+41I don't know how they found me, but they found me.
  • joshboese, on 05/08/2009, -1/+36Trade them for an empty bomb casing full of old pinball machine parts.
  • SpectralSounds, on 05/08/2009, -1/+36I'm sure that in 1985 plutonium is available in every corner drug store, but in 1955 it's a little hard to come by.
  • inigomntoya, on 05/08/2009, -1/+27RUN FOR IT, MARTY!!
  • nonpareil, on 05/08/2009, -3/+27They should borrow some from Israel.

    Or Pakistan.

    Or, oh I don't know, seriously invest in antimatter production and containment.
  • inigomntoya, on 05/08/2009, -1/+23Hey, hey, hey. Keep rolling. Keep rolling, there.
    No, no, no, no, no. This sucker's electrical. But I need a nuclear reaction to generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity I need.
  • SneakyNinja, on 05/08/2009, -1/+22"Plutonium... wait, are you telling me that this sucker is nuclear?"
  • nicomp, on 05/08/2009, -0/+19I knew they'd regret leaving out the Beryllium Sphere.
  • UselessTrivia, on 05/08/2009, -3/+19One point twenty-one jiggawatts?!?
  • socomoddjob, on 05/08/2009, -0/+16Radiation suit? Of course, because of all the fallout from the atomic wars.
  • rodted2, on 05/08/2009, -2/+16* In my worst Scottish accent.

    "I'M GIVEN IT ALL SHE'S GOT CAPN', BUT SHE JUST CAN'T TAKE THE PRESSURE!!!"
  • dgcarbs, on 05/08/2009, -0/+12its plutonium 238 they are running out of not uranium 238
  • Jsmuli2, on 05/08/2009, -3/+15"plutonium is available in every corner drugstore"
  • sirjimithy, on 05/08/2009, -0/+12Yeah well here in 1955, it's a little hard to come by.
  • Chris_F, on 05/08/2009, -0/+10There's that word "heavy" again. In the future is there something wrong with the Earth's gravitational pull?
  • utcochra, on 05/08/2009, -1/+10This is it! This is the answer. ... If... If we could somehow... *harness* this lightning... *channel* it... into the flux capacitor... it just might work.
  • tonytroz, on 05/08/2009, -0/+9Use the Omega 13!
  • inactive, on 05/08/2009, -0/+8Good try with ST geek speak, but fail. Dilithum crystals don't create energy, only channel the plasma energy created by the matter/antimatter reaction. That is of course if it were a real thing.
  • rodted2, on 05/08/2009, -1/+8Dude, you need to get laid. Badly, but yeah your right it is just a focusing material. :)
  • drunkmonkey01, on 05/08/2009, -0/+7They need plutonium 238, not uranium 238 (which is the most common uranium). The chemicals needed to make plutonium 238 are only found in spent nuclear fuel when reprocessing it, so it's not easy to get.
  • ihate2regist, on 05/08/2009, -0/+7"I almost forgot to bring some extra plutonium. How did I ever expect to get back?"
  • asgardshill, on 05/08/2009, -3/+9My. Name. Is. Darth. Vader. I. Am. An. Extraterrestrial. From. The. Planet. Vulcan!
  • Mohdoo, on 05/08/2009, -2/+8I really wish Naquida occurred naturally in our solar system :/
  • Goph09, on 05/08/2009, -0/+6"The Department of Energy announced on Thursday that it will restart its program to make plutonium-238. Spokeswoman Jen Stutsman said the agency has proposed $30 million in next year's budget for preliminary design and engineering. The National Academy's study shows why it is needed, she said."

    How is this a no-go? They're going to start producing it again for the program
  • inactive, on 05/08/2009, -0/+5Starbucks coffee?
  • Konrad9, on 05/08/2009, -0/+5That's naqaudria, it's quite stable in its solid form.

    God I am such a nerd.
  • FXNGLAS, on 05/08/2009, -0/+5Sounds like they need a Mr. Fusion
  • diggydougie, on 05/08/2009, -0/+5At $13,000,000.00 per pound it's a bargain.
  • Devramos, on 05/08/2009, -3/+8This is heavy duty, Doc!
  • warriorscot, on 05/08/2009, -0/+5Go crawl back under a rock. The friggin planet runs on the same principle that NASA use for these probes and its "dangerous". The arms race is over we have the super weapons and realised they aren't all that useful.
  • CATSCEO2, on 05/08/2009, -0/+4http://www.unitednuclear.com/uraniumstock.htm
  • MikeSD34, on 05/08/2009, -0/+4The power of Chuck Norris' fists cannot be contained, captured, or diverted except by Chuck Norris himself. He could however hurl these things into space himself, but that doesn't take care of the long term power usage issue.
  • habbofresh, on 05/08/2009, -2/+6ONE POINT TWENTY-ONE JIGGAWATTS!?!?!?
  • strykefive, on 05/08/2009, -6/+10Get them from Mr. North Korea or Mr. Iran.
  • SkippyDoorknob, on 05/08/2009, -0/+3Wait, wait, wait... What do you mean "IF" it were a real thing?!
  • DaNuKaSAN, on 05/08/2009, -2/+5Dilithium crystals...pfff...get with the program NASA.
  • inactive, on 05/08/2009, -1/+4Deep space probes don't use nuclear reactors. They use these:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoel ...
  • animenick65, on 05/08/2009, -3/+6I was trying to think of a way to power the probes with Chuck Norris, but can't come up with a solution.
  • JohnFrum, on 05/08/2009, -2/+5Shhh, we're supposed to pretend Israel doesn't have nukes.
  • protogenxl, on 05/08/2009, -0/+3They can buy it at Crazy Ivan's Falling Iron Curtain Blowout Sale for pennies on the ruble.
  • Jsmuli2, on 05/08/2009, -0/+3There's that word again; "heavy". Why are things so heavy in the future? Is there a problem with the earth's gravitational pull?
  • sndream, on 05/08/2009, -0/+3Hamster wheel?
  • memper, on 05/08/2009, -0/+3"...the Energy Department at least $150 million to resume making it for the 11 pounds a year that NASA needs for its space probes. "

    11 pounds for 150 million! Thats atrocious ROI.

    However if we used bailout money, nasa could have 18000 pounds of 238.

    That's what's atrocious.


  • dafragsta, on 05/08/2009, -0/+2This is heavy.
  • strictnein, on 05/08/2009, -0/+2Make sure to hit wikipedia up first, then just post what you find here.
  • morcheeba, on 05/08/2009, -1/+3I am ashamed you did not post a link to this awesome picture:
    http://tinyurl.com/2kqsfj
  • bobbi21, on 05/08/2009, -0/+2You'd think they'd find another way to make it, or find another source. Like there's tons of nuclear power plants. Maybe you can adjust something there to make some accessible plutonium 238? I forgot almost all my physics so I dont know if this would actually make any sense. Just putting thoughts out there
  • Chris_F, on 05/08/2009, -1/+3IT RUNS ON STEAM, MARTY!
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