A rare radioactive isotope stands between NASA and its next generation of deep-space exploration. Plutonium-238, the fuel ...

Spacecraft have used a plutonium isotope to stay afloat for decades, but another isotope could last even longer.

Voyages into space are among the most iconic endeavors of the 20th and 21st centuries. Spacecraft that have ventured out to this “final frontier” have relayed stunning images and enlightening ...

Radioactive materials have enormous potential as a source of energy, but some isotopes are available in such small quantities that their use as an energy source is limited. In the 1950s, scientists at ...

The quickest way to recognize how rad Earth is, is to leave it. Every time we send a spacecraft into space, we have to send it with everything it will ever need riding on its back or in its belly.

video: ORNL produces some pretty out-of-this-world materials. Plutonium-238, a unique iridium alloy, and carbon-bonded carbon fiber are all key ingredients for deep space exploration. NASA uses these ...

In 1977, two spacecraft, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, launched toward the unknown. Nearly fifty years later, they remain alive at the edge of interstellar space, still whispering faint signals back to ...

An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Impact Link The US government says a new robot is poised to help it create a reliable, long-term supply chain of plutonium-238, a radioactive material NASA ...

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate gave final passage to an energy and water spending bill Oct. 15 that denies President Barack Obama’s request for $30 million for the Department of Energy to restart ...