Is it possible for Matt Damon to use plutonium for heating in The Martian ?

<> first of all, there is no problem at all with PU for heating. The device in the film is called a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), which converts the heat released by the radioactive decay of PU-238 into electricity. In reality, NASA has been safe to use for over 40 years.

So, is the thermal power large enough? Plutonium-238 has a half-life of only 88 years, which means that its radioactive decay can make it very hot and cause Pu-238 to burn red, as shown in the figure below. Curiosity's RTG generates about 2,000 watts of heat and has a design life of 14 years, which is enough for heating.

Then let's talk about whether it will cause harm to the human body? PU-238 is mainly alpha decay, moving a few centimeters in the air and over, basically a piece of paper or a healthy ** is blocked, this bit of radioactivity is very small compared to the background on Mars, not to mention that Matt Damon is still wearing such a thick spacesuit. On the other hand, PU is highly toxic, and it will be harmful to the human body when it is inhaled, which is terrible.

However, in RTG, PU is made in the form of ceramic, which does not decompose or evaporate easily, and there is a strong material wrapped around it, so there is almost no possibility of leaking out and being inhaled into the body, so it is safe and easy to use for heating with PU on Mars! That's why I said Matt Damon shouldn't just be a botanist.

Nuclear batteries are called radioisotope thermoelectrics

Generator, abbreviated RTG), uses the heat of radioactive decay to generate electricity with a temperature difference, and the usual isotope used is plutonium-238. So is it true that the radioactivity of isotopes does not cause harm to humans?

PU-238 is mainly alpha decay, RTG is mainly emitting rays, can only penetrate a few feet in the air, and move a few centimeters in the air to over, basically a piece of paper or a healthy ** is blocked, this bit of radioactivity is negligible compared to the background on Mars, I observed that he wrapped a circle of metallic paper around the isotope radioactive material, absorbing most of the rays, not to mention that Matt Damon is still wearing such a thick spacesuit.

On the other hand, PU is highly toxic, and it can only affect human health when it is not broken into very fine particles or evaporated, and is inhaled or ingested by the human body, which is terrible.

In The Martian, the crew buried the proprietor's plutonium-based RTG battery in order to prevent it from leaking out of the Ascending Vehicle's plutonium cell. Just like in the movies, to prevent any leaks, plutonium-238 is placed in multiple layers of advanced material protection to ensure that even in the event of a serious accident, no leakage will occur. The resulting isotopes are in ceramic form and are insoluble in liquids, so they cannot be aspirated or swallowed.

So it's safe to use PU for heating on Mars, and it works well!

The above conclusion is based on the Internet.