AI Insight
NASA researchers are developing specialized batteries capable of functioning in the extreme cold of the lunar south pole, where nighttime temperatures drop to minus 328 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 200 degrees Celsius). Standard batteries fail to operate in such conditions, similar to how car batteries struggle in Earth's winter cold. This technology is being created to support NASA's planned return missions to the moon.
Why it matters
These batteries are essential for powering equipment and systems during lunar missions, particularly in the permanently shadowed regions of the moon's south pole where future exploration and potential base establishment are planned. The technology could also have applications for extreme cold environments on Earth.
Understand the Science
If you’ve ever had your car start sluggishly, or not at all, on a particularly frigid winter morning, you know standard batteries do not like extreme cold. That’s why NASA researchers are working to develop a battery that could function in the brutal cold of the moon’s south pole, where nighttime temperatures plunge to minus 328 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 200 degrees Celsius).
Source: NASA develops batteries to power humanity's return to moon