Nuclear batteries, dubbed Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators or Rygs, have been powering spacecraft for more than six decades. They perform two key functions: providing power to keep the on-board instruments running, and supplying heat to protect the instruments from the cold environs of space. In 1961, the first RTGpowered satellite, the Transit 4A spacecraft, took off from the US. Since then, several nuclear-powered missions have been launched, including 25 from the US. Russia has also invested in this technology. In 2013, China soft-landed its RTG-powered Chang'e 3 robot on the moon. NASA's Perseverance rover, which touched down on Martian soil in 2021, is also nuclear-powered.
The global discourse is now moving beyond RTGS. The US and China plan to set up a nuclear power reactor on the moon to provide electricity for astronauts camping on the lunar body.
In 2021, NASA invited proposals from industries to design nuclear power systems for lunar applications. By 2030, the space agency plans to set up a plant that will continuously provide 10 kilowatts (kW) of power—the average annual power intake of a home on Earth. Now China is hoping to do one better. According to news reports, the country is trying to build a reactor that generates 1 megawatt (MW) of electric power.
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In leading role again
MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated
Return of Rambhog
Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region
Scarred by mining
Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.
True rehabilitation
Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face
A JOKE, INDEED
A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE
