/sci/ - Science & Math

>>15217392
it's more power dense than a nuclear reactor which lets you do an interceptor mission
>>15217420
yeah 2/3
>>15217431
I don't think you understand just how radioactive Co-60. The shielding would be about a meter thick.

>>14549464
>Someone redpill me on the nuclear battery concept

-radioisotope electric propulsion
-uses cobalt-60 to generate electricity
-electric thruster use melted indium as propellant at about 5000 isp
-very low thrust but can burn for long enough to make >10 km/s of delta V
-3/4 the launch mass is shielding around the cobalt-60 core that gets discarded once it is safely in orbit
-2027 launch date

>>14549468
They are probably using the fuel as shielding, though the shape is likely artistic.

>>14540248
Embercore is the future for small (less than 1 ton) deep space craft.

https://usnc.com/ultra-safe-nuclear-selected-by-diu-for-high-delta-v-nuclear-small-spacecraft-prototype/

>Ultra Safe Nuclear will develop a concept for radioisotope-powered spacecraft with greater than 10 km/s of delta-V, many times greater than today’s small spacecraft propulsion systems. Advanced nuclear fuels capable of providing over one million kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy in just a few kilograms will be evaluated as part of the project, as will the power conversion and supporting propulsion apparatus essential to development of high delta-V small spacecraft.

>“Rather than using plutonium-238, we are adapting materials from the medical radioisotope industry,” explained Dr. Christopher Morrison, Chief Engineer for Radioisotopes, Advanced Technologies Division. “This approach offers a technically viable, cost-effective path toward sustainable commercialization.”

>>14534989
https://usnc.com/ultra-safe-nuclear-selected-by-diu-for-high-delta-v-nuclear-small-spacecraft-prototype/

>Ultra Safe Nuclear will develop a concept for radioisotope-powered spacecraft with greater than 10 km/s of delta-V, many times greater than today’s small spacecraft propulsion systems. Advanced nuclear fuels capable of providing over one million kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy in just a few kilograms will be evaluated as part of the project, as will the power conversion and supporting propulsion apparatus essential to development of high delta-V small spacecraft.

>“Rather than using plutonium-238, we are adapting materials from the medical radioisotope industry,” explained Dr. Christopher Morrison, Chief Engineer for Radioisotopes, Advanced Technologies Division. “This approach offers a technically viable, cost-effective path toward sustainable commercialization.”