Radioisotope thermoelectric generators for Cassini Bashny.Net

10 years have passed since the release of the orbit of the machine Кассини-Гюйгенс. Internet is full of beautiful pictures and инфографикой



While Elon Musk versed with battery for electric vehicle in space using a 10-year-old "nuclear batteries».

Because of the great distance of Saturn from the Sun can not use sunlight as an energy source for the device.
Therefore the use of radioisotope sources of electricity using heat energy released during the natural decay of radioactive isotopes and converts it into electricity using thermoelectric generators.

& Lt; - Tablet dioxide, red hot due to the significant energy in terms of thermal insulation.

On board the Cassini was 32, 8 kg of high
( to understand the scale of i>: the 2013 National Laboratory Oak Ridge began production of plutonium-238, with a design capacity of 1, 5-2 kilograms of the isotope in the year)

The cost of 1 kg of Russian is about $ 1 million

Guaranteed for two Earth years of work on the surface of Mars Curiosity unit took only 4, 77 kg of radioactive "food". However, the energy in his RTG can last for 10-15 years.

Under the cut a few photos before installing RTG on Cassini



& Quot;
Dimensions of solar cells based on the removal of the sun (from the documents NASA)



1 gram generates floor watt heat



Thermoelectric generator is intended for the direct conversion of thermal energy into electricity through the use of thermocouples in its design











Scheme RTG used on the spacecraft Cassini-Huygens

Device generator


Device heater


Scale


(On Cassini 82 pcs, on Huygens - 35 pcs. Output 292 Watts electric at beginning of mission)

Video contains tests RTG, only for another machine - Галилео


UPD

PS
About the "dismantling" of Russia and America over
Pentagon lacked the Russian plutonium (28 June 2005)

RTG "heart" space robots, or weapons to terrorists? (27.08.2013) < br />
PPP
a total of 10 years of Cassini




Source: habrahabr.ru/post/228295/