SCENARIO:
•Two types of radioactive power sources used in outer space - Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTG’s) systems and Nuclear Fission reactors
•RTG’s utilise Plutonium 238, with a half life of 87.5 years, and Nuclear Fission reactors utilise Uranium 235, with a half life of 713 million years (Schafer, 1988)
•RTGs generally produce only a few hundred watts, but the reactor is scalable to 10,000 watts
•NASA is developing the experimental reactor to provide reliable energy for long-duration crewed missions to the moon, Mars and destinations beyond (Tasoff, 2018)
CONTAMINATION HISTORY:
•Space nuclear power systems have been used by the United States and the Soviet Union since the 1960s (Primack, 1988).
•In1964 - uncontrolled re-entry of a U.S.- owned, RTG powered navigation satellite. Plutonium 238 fallout from the satellite was almost twice that which resulted from atmospheric nuclear tests conducted before the end of 1970 (Sipri, 1983).
•In 1978, the Soviet Union’s spy satellite, Kosmos 954, crashed into the Northwest Territories, scattering radioactivity across almost 48,000 square miles. The USSR had to pay Canada $10 million for the damage.
• In 1995, NASA scientists found a cloud of liquid, radioactive sodium and potassium coolant in orbit. This came from the Soviet satellite Kosmos 1900. Something in space crashed into it, causing the nuclear reactor to leak. The cloud of radioactive fluids is still orbiting, and space agencies continue to monitor.
•More than 30 different nuclear-reactor-powered satellites still orbit the earth. The US launched only one while the USSR launched all the rest (Harrington, 2019).
•Two types of radioactive power sources used in outer space - Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTG’s) systems and Nuclear Fission reactors
•RTG’s utilise Plutonium 238, with a half life of 87.5 years, and Nuclear Fission reactors utilise Uranium 235, with a half life of 713 million years (Schafer, 1988)
•RTGs generally produce only a few hundred watts, but the reactor is scalable to 10,000 watts
•NASA is developing the experimental reactor to provide reliable energy for long-duration crewed missions to the moon, Mars and destinations beyond (Tasoff, 2018)
CONTAMINATION HISTORY:
•Space nuclear power systems have been used by the United States and the Soviet Union since the 1960s (Primack, 1988).
•In1964 - uncontrolled re-entry of a U.S.- owned, RTG powered navigation satellite. Plutonium 238 fallout from the satellite was almost twice that which resulted from atmospheric nuclear tests conducted before the end of 1970 (Sipri, 1983).
•In 1978, the Soviet Union’s spy satellite, Kosmos 954, crashed into the Northwest Territories, scattering radioactivity across almost 48,000 square miles. The USSR had to pay Canada $10 million for the damage.
• In 1995, NASA scientists found a cloud of liquid, radioactive sodium and potassium coolant in orbit. This came from the Soviet satellite Kosmos 1900. Something in space crashed into it, causing the nuclear reactor to leak. The cloud of radioactive fluids is still orbiting, and space agencies continue to monitor.
•More than 30 different nuclear-reactor-powered satellites still orbit the earth. The US launched only one while the USSR launched all the rest (Harrington, 2019).