UK scientists generate electricity from Americium to power future space missions

Re:UK scientists generate electricity from Americium to powe... by mrkstu on Friday May 03, 2019 @09:02AM (#19817999)

So is this essentially an RTG powered by Americium instead of Strontium or Plutonium? Or is this pioneering a new method of operation compared to a traditional RTG?

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Re:UK scientists generate electricity from Americium to powe... by sandworm101 on Friday May 03, 2019 @09:46AM (#19818380)

>>> used the heat generated from this highly radioactive material to generate enough electric current to light up a small lightbulb ...

Sounds like an americium-powered RTG to me, albeit not a particularly powerful one.

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Re:UK scientists generate electricity from Americium to powe... by imglorp on Friday May 03, 2019 @10:58AM (#19818998)

Powering a lightbulb for 432 years? Sign me up.

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Re:UK scientists generate electricity from Americium to powe... by gnode on Friday May 03, 2019 @12:21PM (#19819734)

I don't think the power generation part of this is a breakthrough at all, just a "proof of the pudding is in the eating" demonstration.

As I understand it, the practical refinement of a significant amount of Americium from waste is the breakthrough. But that doesn't win hearts and minds like a 432 year space lightbulb.

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Re:UK scientists generate electricity from Americium to powe... by okket on Friday May 03, 2019 @09:51AM (#19818417)

> So is this essentially an RTG powered by Americium instead of Strontium or Plutonium?

That is the idea. Plutonium RTGs are very hard to get by. As in only the U.S. have a few such RTGs in stock and I am not sure they are producing new ones.

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