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Americium: How a small element could power the next century of space exploration
(interestingengineering.com)
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this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2025
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To -make-, yep. As the article pointed out, there's a lot of Amercium in waste dumps where old smoke detectors ... and anyone can make it. Five times the half-life means it can power much longer missions.
The length of missions is not currently and will not in the short or medium term be limited by the lifespan of plutonium.
Except in regions where there is no access to Pu ... as the article itself pointed out.