美国航天局利用钚发电的“核电池”为深空飞行任务提供可靠的电力。 NASA uses "nuclear batteries" powered by plutonium to provide reliable electricity for deep space missions.

放射性同位素热电发电机(RTGs),或“核电池”,通过将钚238的热能从钚238衰变成电,在深空的动力航天器。 Radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), or "nuclear batteries," power spacecraft in deep space by converting heat from plutonium-238 decay into electricity. RTG 用于 NASA 的“好奇号”和“毅力号”火星车以及“新视野号”探测器等任务，可提供数十年的可靠电力，即使在距离地球数十亿英里的地方也能有效工作。 Used in missions like NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance rovers and the New Horizons probe, RTGs offer reliable power for decades, working effectively even billions of miles from Earth. 它们生产几百瓦的电力, 足以用于长期空间任务。 They produce a few hundred watts of electricity, enough for long-term space missions.