What is fuel cell and why is it so useful in spacecraft?

Answer 1

A fuel cell is sort of like a battery -- it puts out electric energy.
The energy is created there, like "dry cells" or alkaline batteries. Unlike those batteries, which are self contained, use up their fuel and go dead. A fuel cell can take in new "fuel" -- like hydrogen and oxygen -- and combine those to make electricity. That means they keep on going, long after the Energizer bunny has been made into a stew.
Fuel cells are also more energy-efficient. Using something like hydrogren engine in a car or in the rocket engines -- they work by exploding hydrogen and oxygen and waste most of their energy as heat -- fuel cells go direct to electricity. The energy release is slow, and the fuel cell is heavy -- still too heavy for electric cars.

Answer 2

A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device. It produces electricity from external supplies of fuel (on the anode side) and oxidant (on the cathode side). These react in the presence of an electrolyte.

Advantages in spacecraft:
1) in hydrogen cell, the by product is water, which can be drink
2) the hydrogen fuel is also light, which is important in spacecraft to reduce any unnecessary weight
3) Fuel cell does not have moving parts, hence possibility of breakdown is minimize
4) Some fuel cells can start at very temperature, useful in exploration in planets away from the sun.
5) Fuel cells work in a closed system, hence it does not require any input from the surrounding, for example oxygen, and the output is useful and does not enter the space, for example carbon dioxide is not produce.

Answer 3

A fuel cell makes electricity from hydrogen and oxygen by combining them through a dielectric membrane. It's used on spacecraft when solar panels are unavailable (like during liftoff and reentry) because it plus the fuel can release much more electrical energy that a battery of similar weight, the "waste" is water, which astronauts can drink, and hydrogen and oxygen are the rocket fuel, so you don't need a separate container.

Answer 4

fuel cell make space ship go zoom and ET go home

Answer 5

a fual cell is a battery

Answer 6

Hehe... that guy that answered before me is funny