The Amp Hour SPACE SPECIAL With Fran Blanche

[jonovid]

did take a bit of work to watch this one on TV. as 2hr YT videos do not always play in MP4. so a convert to AVi did fix.

I did like the NASA history lesson.  good work with the space pics Dave.  yes do talk about space electronics next time. 
-yes Fran we need to go back to the Moon before a manned trip to Mars.     and please try to avoid the political stuff next time 

update
 did add a image  of screen captures of the 2 hr YT video

[Nusa]

The politics seemed pretty relevant to the future of the space program. But we'll see what actually happens.

[stitch]

I either didn't know, or had forgotten about the sample return missions from the Soviet Luna program.
“The only thing new in the world is the history you do not know.” Harry Truman

[Kleinstein]

The old radioisotope generators used Seebecke effect, thus units similar to the peltier modules for cooling. However there is new research to use the IR radiation form a source running much hotter and get there energy this way. They hope to get a better efficiency this way. So there are two different concepts that work. AFAIK the ones used in space flight are still the old thermoelectric ones. The IR radiation method is likely not working well on small scale.

The Pu-238 used for the space flights is different from that used in weapons or nuclear power plants. It needs a completely different path of production to get it in sufficient purity. Still restarting production is easier than going to mars, though is needs an active nuclear reactor.

Helium does not freeze from just cooling (it only does it under pressure). Also there is no way the oxygen could get so could it would even liquefy helium. Oxygen is solid well before helium gets liquid. Chances are more the other way around, that too cold helium could cause some of the oxygen to freeze. A known trouble with liquid helium containers is the outlet to freeze shut (e.g. from humidity) and than cause excessive helium pressure up to an explosion.