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What are the risks of nuclear power sources for space probes?

April 26, 2017nuclear power probes sources

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What are the risks of nuclear power sources for space probes?

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There has been extensive discussion on this topic sparked by attempts to block the Galileo and Ulysses launches on grounds of the plutonium thermal sources being dangerous. Numerous studies claim that even in worst-case scenarios (explosion during launch, or accidental re-entry at interplanetary velocities), the risks are extremely small.