Comment on Americium: How a small element could power the next century of space exploration

SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

• kalkulat@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  10 times as much as gold

  To -make-, yep. As the article pointed out, there’s a lot of Amercium in waste dumps where old smoke detectors … and anyone can make it. Five times the half-life means it can power much longer missions.

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  • krooklochurm@lemmy.ca ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    I like to recover old smoke detectors and eat the americium. I’m well on my way to becoming captain americium.

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  • diablexical@sh.itjust.works ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    longer missions

    The length of missions is not currently and will not in the short or medium term be limited by the lifespan of plutonium.

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    • kalkulat@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Except in regions where there is no access to Pu … as the article itself pointed out.

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  • Johnmannesca@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Seems kinda dangerous to do radioactive materials scrapping, but if you got the safety protocols and equipment worked out then it’s a living

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