What is the power source of the space shuttle?
The answer is a fuel cell. But, what is a fuel cell? Water breaks down into hydrogen and oxygen when electricity is passed through the water. In contrast, by combining hydrogen and oxygen in a chemical reaction, water is produced and electricity is generated. Fuel cells are like “electricity generators” which make electricity from hydrogen and oxygen. Now many companies including automobile manufacturers are competing to develop fuel cells for actual use. Why are they so eager? It’s because fuel cells have many advantages: 1) Generate electricity efficiently Some energy is lost when a turbine is used to generate electricity, but a fuel cell doesn’t lose any energy at all because it generates electricity directly by a chemical reaction. 2) Heat can be utilized The heat that is produced through generating electricity can be utilized for supplying hot water and heating. More than 80% of the raw energy for fuel cells can be used as electricity or heat. Compared to the 35% efficiency for th
