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by WJW
1701 days ago
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Sure, but the (perceived) popular resistance is to the risks of launching nuclear material, and that is no less for RTGs than for "real" reactors. Nobody would be all that upset about launching an unfueled reactor, since that is basically just a collection of pumps and turbines not fundamentally different from anything we already shoot up. You could/should even launch the fuel and reactor in different rockets, so that you have more mass budget for wrapping up the fuel rods extra safely. |
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It's always possible I've been reading misinformation, but allegedly the major source of radioactive debris in orbit is defunct nuclear reactors that collided with something, and they also interfere with gamma-ray observations.
So if it is indeed true there are many satellites powered by reactors, it couldn't be obscure, many people must be aware.