Editing 2115: Plutonium
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | This comic pokes fun at the properties of {{w|plutonium}}, claiming that it is so unrealistically powerful that it may as well be random | + | {{incomplete|Created by a Power Orb. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
+ | This comic pokes fun at the properties of {{w|plutonium}}, claiming that it is so unrealistically powerful that it may as well be random sci-fi jargon. Indeed, the ability for a metal to radiate free energy sounds impossible (this comic is likely a simplification). This is reflected by Megan and Hairy treating Cueball's idea as a joke. | ||
− | There are devices that need substantial electrical power over long time – | + | There are devices that need substantial electrical power over long time – in the order of decades – but local sources of energy are insufficient or unavailable, yet constructing a power line or resupplying them with some power source (like fuel, fresh chemical batteries etc.) is either impossible or overly costly. Such devices include maritime beacons and buoys, automatic weather and science stations located in remote areas, and – most importantly – deep space probes and some planetary probes or science packs. Probes sent beyond Jupiter cannot effectively rely on photovoltaic panels for energy, because the great distance to the Sun means that the amount of solar radiation per unit of area is very low, requiring impractically large (and thus heavy) panels to provide enough energy. Carrying a lot of fuel also adds mass to the probe. |
− | Instead, such devices usually use {{W|radioisotope thermoelectric generator}}s (RTGs). In an RTG the natural radioactive decay of some unstable isotope (such as | + | Instead, such devices usually use {{W|radioisotope thermoelectric generator}}s (RTGs). In an RTG the natural radioactive decay of some unstable isotope (such as Plutonium-238 or Strontium-90) produces a lot of heat, which is then used to generate energy using {{W|thermopile}}s, which generate electricity directly from heat (actually temperature gradients) by employing the {{W|thermoelectric effect}}. The key element of an RTG, a pellet of radioactive material such as plutonium dioxide, could be facetiously described as a "power orb" – a lump of a substance that gives out heat apparently out of nothing. |
− | + | Note that the radioactive material obviously doesn't produce this energy forever, although it can produce it so long the device will break before it runs out of energy. Mentioning this detail might make it seem more realistic ... on the other hand, mentioning that it stops producing energy because it transforms to lead might actually sound even less realistic to person who doesn't know how it works. | |
− | The title text references development of games | + | The title text references development of team-written episodic stories, such as video games, television shows, or comic series, and how after joining a team and implementing a mechanic, a writer can leave, and give others working on it little or no knowledge of how to handle a specific plot element or design. |
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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:[Megan, Hairy, Cueball, and Ponytail are talking.] | :[Megan, Hairy, Cueball, and Ponytail are talking.] | ||
:Megan: How will we keep the spacecraft supplied with heat and electricity? | :Megan: How will we keep the spacecraft supplied with heat and electricity? | ||
:Cueball: We could use a power orb. They give off thousands of watts 24/7. | :Cueball: We could use a power orb. They give off thousands of watts 24/7. | ||
− | :Megan: Huh? How do you recharge it | + | :Megan: Huh? How do you recharge it. |
:Cueball: You don't. It's just made of a metal that emits energy. | :Cueball: You don't. It's just made of a metal that emits energy. | ||
:Megan: OK, come on. | :Megan: OK, come on. | ||
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:[Caption below the panel:] | :[Caption below the panel:] | ||
:For something that's real, plutonium is so unrealistic. | :For something that's real, plutonium is so unrealistic. | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} |