RE: plutonium packs

["Neil, David M" <neildm@id.doe.gov>]

I sent this earlier, and it wandered off into cyberspace. With my luck it
will pop up as soon as I send this repeat.  Apologies if you get it twice.

I can't really add to the technical explanations already given, but I will
point out that, if you had something in mind :-), the Josephson piles
(thermocouple arrays) are commercially available.  They're used in those 12
volt hot/cold picnic chests, because they work both ways.  Put in a voltage
differential across the electrical leads, and the faces of the pile develop
a temperature differential, or put a temperature differential across the
faces and  the leads develop a voltage differential. Either way, one
differential is proportional to the other, of course.

Dave Neil		neildm@id.doe.gov

Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never
forgotten this

On Monday, June 12, 2000 9:14 AM, Tom Savin [SMTP:lexicon@hotbot.com] wrote:
>  
> --
>  Can anyone give me a lead on how NASA's plutonium generators power their
spacecraft?
> 
> 
> HotBot - Search smarter.
> http://www.hotbot.com
> ************************************************************************
> The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
> information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html
************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html