events
A Transit-5bn satellite fails to reach orbit after launch; as it re-enters the atmosphere, 2.1 pounds (0.95 kg) of radioactive plutonium in its SNAP RTG power source is widely dispersed.
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Transit (satellite)
Satellite navigation system
The Transit system, also known as NAVSAT or NNSS, was the first satellite navigation system to be used operationally. The radio navigation system was primarily used by the U.S. Navy to provide accurate location information to its Polaris ballistic missile submarines, and it was…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Plutonium
Chemical element with atomic number 94 (Pu)
Plutonium is a chemical element; it has symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It was initially discovered and named Hesperium by Enrico Fermi in 1934. It is a silvery-gray actinide metal that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power
1960s NASA program which developed and tested nuclear reactors for satellites
The Systems Nuclear Auxiliary POWER (SNAP) program was a program of experimental radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) and space nuclear reactors flown during the 1960s by NASA.Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Radioisotope thermoelectric generator
Electrical generator that uses heat from radioactive decay
A radioisotope thermoelectric generator, or radioisotope power system (RPS), is a type of nuclear battery that uses an array of thermocouples to convert the heat released by the decay of a suitable radioactive material into electricity by the Seebeck effect. This type of…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)