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Scientists Proposed a Nuclear 'Tunnelbot' to Hunt Life in Europa's Hidden Ocean
A group of scientists wants to send a nuclear-powered "tunnelbot" to Europa to blaze a path through the Jovian moon's thick shell of ice and search for life. [...] On Friday (Dec. 14) at the 2018 meeting of the American Geophysical Union, the researchers presented a proposal for a "tunnelbot" that would use nuclear power to melt a path through Europa's shell, "carrying a payload that can search for... evidence for extant/extinct life."
The tunnelbot, the researchers reported, could use either an advanced nuclear reactor or some of NASA's radioactive "general-purpose heat bricks" to generate heat and power, though the radiation would present some design challenges.
Once on the frozen moon, the tunnelbot would move through the ice, also hunting for smaller lakes inside the shell or evidence that the ice itself might contain life. As it burrows deeper, it would spit out a long fiber-optic cable behind itself leading up to the surface and deploy communications relays at depths of 3, 6 and 9 miles (5, 10 and 15 kilometers). Once it reaches the liquid ocean, to keep from "falling through," it would deploy cables or a floatation device to lock itself in place, the researchers wrote.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 19 2018, @03:02PM (5 children)
What is to be done with the nuclear fuel/waste when the mission is done? Just drop it where ever the probe ends up? Sounds like an ecological problem - one that we will create off-Earth, and would be 100% our responsibility. To me this doesn't sound like the best approach. How will the nuclear fuel/waste affect life if life is there? How about in 100 years? Or 1000 years?
(Score: 2) by Snow on Wednesday December 19 2018, @04:14PM
Don't they use plutonium for RTGs? They'd just be arming the alien invaders!
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 19 2018, @04:34PM (1 child)
^This is why the mission will never get off the ground. The word "nuclear " is tainted. Get that through your head Mr. Scientists. Call it any thing but nuclear! Unicorn ice melter, weak force energy siphon, anything but nuclear and the anti-nukes won't even notice because their trigger word is gone.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday December 19 2018, @05:21PM
NASA's Kilopower Nuclear Reactor Exceeds Expectations in Tests [soylentnews.org]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Thursday December 20 2018, @10:53AM (1 child)
I wonder if there exist radionuclides with an appropriate half life (~10 yrs) and no nasty decay products?
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Thursday December 20 2018, @11:00AM
Google tells me that, for example, tritium has a half life of 12 years and decays to 3He via beta decay... which doesnt make much secondary radiation and can be managed by appropriate shielding. Tritium occurs naturally in solar fusion so it would not be a "pollutant". It is an ingredient in H-bombs I believe, so probably US government has expertise in tritium production.