Ephraim Fischbach, a physics professor at Purdue, was looking into the rate of radioactive decay of several isotopes as a possible source of random numbers generated without any human input.

Unbeknown to them, the "scrap" contained a highly radioactive source used to treat cancer patients.

Any missions hoping to go farther will need a means of acceleration that can get the spacecraft to the edge of explored space faster—before it has depleted its radioactive power source.