Nuclear Power Sources
Nuclear power sources are devices that use nuclear reactions to generate electrical power. In space and astronautical engineering, nuclear power sources are used to provide electricity to spacecraft and satellites that operate in deep space or in locations where solar power is not feasible. Nuclear power sources can be either radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) or nuclear reactors. RTGs use the heat generated by the decay of radioactive isotopes to generate electricity through thermoelectric conversion. Nuclear reactors, on the other hand, use nuclear fission to generate heat, which is then used to produce steam and drive a turbine to generate electricity. Nuclear power sources have been used in a number of space missions, including the Voyager, Pioneer, and Cassini spacecraft.
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