Kosmos 954: A Real-life 'Satellite Down'

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Vespers War

I find this somewhat amusing, because the BES-5 had lower power density than some RTG systems - it produced 3 watts of electrical power per kilogram, while Voyager 1's MHW-RTG in 1977 produced 4.2 watts of electrical power per kilogram, and the more modern GPHS-RTG used since 1989's Galileo produces 5.4 watts per kilogram. In fact, Voyager 1 is still producing more electrical power per kilogram of power source mass than a BES-5, after 44 years of the RTG decaying (it's around 3.1-3.2 watts per kilogram).

It also needed very highly enriched uranium (90+%). I'd question the availability of that fuel in the T2K world, and it's one reason such a reactor would be unlikely to see terrestrial civilian use in our world, as it would be a target for actors (both state and non-state) seeking enriched fuel for their own purposes.

Your knowledge of nuclear science is impressive. I wish the scientist featured in the show had been a little bit more specific regarding how he hoped this particular compact reactor would help him develop safe nuclear power for up to 150k households. They didn't go any further than that, really.

But yeah, maybe the T2k hook here is, "Rumor has it, Bad Actor X is trying to find nuclear material from Kosmos 954 for nefarious purpose Y; we can't let him get to it first."

That could make for a decent, race against time, wilderness trek/survival, small unit combat type mini-campaign.

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