Radioisotope thermoelectric generator for Cassini: 10 years on plutonium batteries
10 years have passed since the Cassini-Huygens apparatus entered orbit. The Internet is replete with beautiful photos and infographics
While Elon Musk understands the battery for an electric vehicle in space using a 10-year "atomic batteries."
Due to the long distance of Saturn from the Sun, it is impossible to use sunlight as an energy source for the vehicle.
Therefore, using a radioisotope source of electricity that uses thermal energy released during the natural decay of radioactive isotopes and converts it into electricity using a thermoelectric generator.
')
Tablet 
, red-hot due to the significant energy release under thermal insulation.
On board Cassini was 32.8 kg of high purity.
( to understand the scale : in 2013, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory began production of plutonium-238, with a design capacity of 1.5-2 kilograms of isotope per year)
The cost of 1 kilogram of Russian is about 1 million dollars
For two guaranteed terrestrial years of work on the surface of Mars, the Curiosity unit needed only 4.77 kg of radioactive “food”. However, the energy in its RTG can be enough for 10-15 years.
Under the cut, several photos of RTGs before installation in Cassini
"
Size of solar panels depending on the distance from the sun (from NASA documents)
1 gram generates half a watt of thermal energy
Thermoelectric generator is designed for direct conversion of thermal energy into electricity through the use of thermoelements in its design.
The RTG circuit used on the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft
Generator device
Heater device
Scale
(82 pieces on Cassini, 35 pieces on Huygens. Output 292 Watts electric at beginning of mission)
Video, contains RTG tests, only for another device - Galileo
UPD : Virtual Tour on RTG Production
PS
On the "disassembly" of Russia and America about
The Pentagon did not have enough Russian plutonium (June 28, 2005)
RTGs: "hearts" of space robots, or terrorists' weapons? (08.27.2013)
PPP
a total of 10 years of Cassini work
While Elon Musk understands the battery for an electric vehicle in space using a 10-year "atomic batteries."
Due to the long distance of Saturn from the Sun, it is impossible to use sunlight as an energy source for the vehicle.
Therefore, using a radioisotope source of electricity that uses thermal energy released during the natural decay of radioactive isotopes and converts it into electricity using a thermoelectric generator.
')
Tablet , red-hot due to the significant energy release under thermal insulation.
On board Cassini was 32.8 kg of high purity.
( to understand the scale : in 2013, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory began production of plutonium-238, with a design capacity of 1.5-2 kilograms of isotope per year)
The cost of 1 kilogram of Russian
is about 1 million dollars
For two guaranteed terrestrial years of work on the surface of Mars, the Curiosity unit needed only 4.77 kg of radioactive “food”. However, the energy in its RTG can be enough for 10-15 years.
Under the cut, several photos of RTGs before installation in Cassini
"
Size of solar panels depending on the distance from the sun (from NASA documents)
1 gram
generates half a watt of thermal energy
Thermoelectric generator is designed for direct conversion of thermal energy into electricity through the use of thermoelements in its design.
The RTG circuit used on the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft
Generator device
Heater device
Scale
(82 pieces on Cassini, 35 pieces on Huygens. Output 292 Watts electric at beginning of mission)
Video, contains RTG tests, only for another device - Galileo
UPD : Virtual Tour on RTG Production
PS
On the "disassembly" of Russia and America about
The Pentagon did not have enough Russian plutonium (June 28, 2005)
RTGs: "hearts" of space robots, or terrorists' weapons? (08.27.2013)
PPP
a total of 10 years of Cassini work
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/228295/
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