The new lithium-ion (Li-ion for short) batteries recently tested
in space are SO good and SO long-lasting . . . if you put them
in your hand-held electronic game, you might never have to buy
batteries again! Find out just how long your Li-ion batteries
would last: How nice that we don't have to plug everything into
the wall to get electricity! But batteries often die at just the
wrong time. Flashlights fade away when you need them most. Toys
that keep going and going... do finally quit. Wouldn't it be
nice to have batteries that last many years? One place such a
battery would be very handy is in a spacecraft. Most spacecraft
do not have people onboard. If the batteries fizzle, the whole
spacecraft fizzles. There is no one to replace the batteries in
a spacecraft that's millions of miles away! Even though
batteries may work fine down here on Earth, space is another
matter . . . or rather, lack of matter! In space, batteries must
work in both very hot and very cold conditions. They must
withstand a lot of radia