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Science 16 October 1998:
Vol. 282. no. 5388, p. 389
DOI: 10.1126/science.282.5388.389b
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ScienceScope

In a proposal that promises to spark further furor over the use of nuclear power aboard spacecraft, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) wants to begin making radioactive spacecraft fuel at home again. Department officials announced on 5 October that they are considering restarting production of plutonium-238--used to produce heat and electricity aboard some of NASA's planetary probes--at government reactors.

The move comes amid worries that future political instability in Russia could threaten NASA's supply of plutonium, which has come mainly from Russia since domestic production ceased in the early 1990s. It also follows protests against launches of several NASA craft carrying plutonium-powered generators, such as last year's Cassini mission to Saturn, which activists say could shower Earth with radioactive debris in the event of an accident (Science, 12 September 1997, p. 1598).

DOE officials estimate that the United States needs to make 2 to 5 kilograms of Pu-238 a year over the next 25 years to fuel NASA spacecraft. Before production can begin, however, DOE must complete an environmental study, which is due next spring.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)