Powering spacecraft with solar energy may not seem like a challenge, given how intense the sun's light can feel on Earth.

Scientists have been building nuclear weapons for more than 80 years, but crafting this technology remains a challenge.

However, NASA isn’t ready to say goodbye just yet, and is taking measures to get as much life out of the pair as possible. On ...

Beginning in the late 1950s, the U.S. met this challenge by developing nuclear batteries known as radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) and producing plutonium-238 (Pu-238) as their fuel, ...

In an effort to conserve Voyager 2's dwindling energy and extend the spacecraft's mission, NASA has shut down another of its ...

For nearly five decades, the twin Voyager spacecraft have pushed the boundaries of human exploration, venturing deeper into ...

The proposed solution to this problem is to instead use fast-neutron reactors, which “breed” non-fissile uranium-238 into plutonium-239 and plutonium-240, which can then be used as fresh fuel.

The Neutronics model proposed can be used for neutron spectrum optimization, which can effectively improve the production efficiency of Pu-238, improving the yield of 238 Pu up to 18.81%.

The 50th birthday is a must, but the Voyager probes should ideally continue to work into the 2030s. To achieve this, however, ...