Efficiency isn't really the thing...the actual plutonium oxide pellet they use for RTG's only gives off a total of about 40-60 watts. Doesn't matter how good your collection is, they'll only run the equivalent of a single 60w incandescent bulb assuming absolutely perfect conversion.

Even if you had theoretically perfect insulation, you're just going to make the the alpha decay happen faster.

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The article leaves out how exactly the energy would be used to propel the spacecraft. It does not seem like it will be “throw the bomb out the back” type nuclear propulsion. Perhaps the idea is to use the energy to power an ion drive of some kind?

Rtgs don't put out much .energy though. Fine to run some spacecraft instruments. A house? Maybe not so much

Did it say how these planned nuclear engines would actually work?

Could someone explain how it's supposed to work?

Thanks

im pretty sure that fossil fuel like to use propaganda greenwash themselves

and also have my suspicion that they may want use pro nuclear propaganda an industry they have been coexisting and competing with for the last seven decades in order to delay the energy transition because they cannot compete and control the disruptive changes that renewables caused in the market

i also have the suspicion that they may be using pro nuclear propaganda to blame any renewable supporter as pro fossil fuel 😌

i also am aware that a pro nuclear bot was found doing his rounds at reddit and also that there are plenty of pronuclear comments dressed as facts not being so also i realized that often pro nuclear energy coments apprear in threads that are not discusing such

Incidently this thread was about nuclear PROPULSION yet here are the church of the fissiontology in force proselitizing

i rather back read about nuclear propulsion which is something i find interesting

Hmm sell them as sealed units and you might have a safe product there. There's some progress on thermophotovoltaic cells (like solar cells except they operate in the IR spectrum) that could make a solid state no-moving-parts RTG about 20x to 40x more efficient than the old voyager RTGs.

It's actually the cars that kill the people is it not?

So is the interstate highway system, which kills a lot more people than nuclear reactors ever have.

Hey Rolls-Royce. You need another "R"

You know Rolls-Royce Reactor.

Rolls-Royce and only Rolls-Royce is allowed to use this idea gratis.

Sudden? Nerva project is 60 years old.

It was 3rd degree.

I get the feeling you'd rather "win" an "argument" than be correct. Your whole premise is born of ignorance, but it's easier for some to remain ignorant than to recognize they are wrong.

Heat has infinite energy density, so we should just burn coal for rockets. <- your logic at work.

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Depends on the car.

What about solar winds? And a sail to catch them? Feels like I've heard about this someplace.

The Nostromo in the original Alien movie had Rolls Royce engines. Not sure if they were nuclear.

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I wonder if the space crafts will have complementary luxury umbrellas that astronauts can pop out of the doors.

Where did that plutonium come from?

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Where did the light come from?

Where does the solar energy on the surface of the earth come from?

Yes, exactly. Solar energy is fusion.