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Plutonium-238 has a half-life of 88 years and emits alpha particles. It is a heat source in radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which are used to power some spacecraft.
The reason radioactive isotopes emit radiation is that the emission of radiation is a nutural consequence of being radioactive. Let's look a bit more closely. Radioactive isotâ¦opes are unstable atoms, and they will undergo radioactive decay sooner or later. The unstable atomic nuclei undergo a change based on what particular isotope is being considered. In any case, when a nuclear change occurs, radiation of some kind is emitted from that nucleus. It really is that simple.