The United States decided the issue of plutonium-238

13

США решили проблему плутония-238To obtain the plutonium-238 mixed neptunium-237 oxide of aluminium with the formation of a mixture of high density pellets.

USA started the production of plutonium-238 in sufficient for interplanetary missions volumes, said the Director of the Department for the study of the planets NASA’s Jim green at the 49th Lunar and planetary science conference. On Twitter said journalist Jeff Foust SpaceNews.

According to green, the generation of new plutonium-238 for radioisotope power sources “was successful.” It is expected that the next interplanetary mission NASA is organized within the framework of Discovery, have the same source of energy. For the Mars 2020 Rover the us space Agency is using old stocks of plutonium-238.

By December 2015 the oak ridge national laboratory has developed the first in over 30 years plutonium-238 in the United States. The production of this isotope in the country was halted in the late 1980-ies.

In 1992 the United States signed a Treaty with Russia on the purchase of plutonium-238 for its space programs. The agreement provided for the purchase of the isotope weighing from 10 to 40 pounds and stopped working in 2009 due to reforms in the Russian nuclear industry.

To obtain the plutonium-238 mixed neptunium-237 oxide of aluminium with the formation of a mixture of high density pellets placed in a reactor where the mixture is exposed to radiation, is transformed into neptunium-238 and then into plutonium-238. Subsequently, for the separation of plutonium-238 from neptunium-238 mixture was dissolved by chemical means and receive the first isotope (in the form of oxide).

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here