U.S. Space Radioisotope Power Systems and Applications: Past, Present and Future

Cataldo, Rodrigo; Bennett, Gary L.

doi:10.5772/23914

Cited by 21 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The United States' National Aviation and Space Agency (NASA) is looking forward to completing a number of future missions to planetary bodies like Mars and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn ("NASA and ESA," 2009). When considering the design challenges that accompany the cold, dark environment of deep space, NASA scientists and engineers have used radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) to power and supply heat to the scientific instruments aboard spacecraft where solar power is no longer reliable (Cataldo & Bennett, 2011). RTGs of the past have only been able to operate in vacuum environments, but the endeavor to explore planets and moons with atmospheres required for the creation of a more versatile Multi-Mission RTG (MMRTG) that could function in both vacuum and atmospheric environments (Cataldo & Bennett, 2011).…”

Section: Overview Of Problem and Its Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…NASA has had much success in flagship missions relying on RTG technology, with many of them still currently active. Voyagers 1 and 2 have been in operation since the late 1970s using Multi-Hundred-Watt RTGs, and Voyager 2 exceeded mission requirements was able to be retargeted after its primary mission to send the first pictures of Uranus and Neptune back to Earth (Cataldo & Bennett, 2011). NASA's Galileo orbiter equipped with General-Purpose Heat Source RTGs also surpassed requirements and the Galileo mission was extended multiple times (Cataldo & Bennett, 2011).…”

Section: Lessons From Prior Responses To the Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Voyagers 1 and 2 have been in operation since the late 1970s using Multi-Hundred-Watt RTGs, and Voyager 2 exceeded mission requirements was able to be retargeted after its primary mission to send the first pictures of Uranus and Neptune back to Earth (Cataldo & Bennett, 2011). NASA's Galileo orbiter equipped with General-Purpose Heat Source RTGs also surpassed requirements and the Galileo mission was extended multiple times (Cataldo & Bennett, 2011). The most recent RTG, the MMRTG, has been successfully powering the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover since it landed in 2012, and another MMRTG has been announced to be used for the Mars 2020 rover (Cataldo & Bennett, 2011).…”

Section: Lessons From Prior Responses To the Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…NASA's Galileo orbiter equipped with General-Purpose Heat Source RTGs also surpassed requirements and the Galileo mission was extended multiple times (Cataldo & Bennett, 2011). The most recent RTG, the MMRTG, has been successfully powering the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover since it landed in 2012, and another MMRTG has been announced to be used for the Mars 2020 rover (Cataldo & Bennett, 2011).…”

Section: Lessons From Prior Responses To the Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Enhancing NASA's Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator Using Highly Efficient Thermoelectric Materials

Houtmann¹

2020

M:TURJ

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This project proposal aims to enhance NASA’s Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) by identifying and analyzing new material technologies that have been researched for their excellent thermoelectric properties at higher temperatures. By choosing the most efficient thermoelectric material available, the MMRTG’s energy conversion efficiency will be greatly improved as thermoelectric generator efficiencies are largely determined by the properties of the materials within the thermocouple devices used to convert the heat into energy. A project that focuses on enhancing the MMRTG is imperative for the future of space exploration as there is global shortage of plutonium fuel production, limiting future missions to available supplies. A more efficient generator will minimize the use of this fuel while maximizing power output, allowing for increased mission capabilities and better conservation of the scarce plutonium fuel. In this report, lanthanum telluride, Yb14MnSb14, and a multiple-filled skutterudite (SKD) compound are analyzed for their excellent thermoelectric performance. The multiple filled SKD compound is chosen as the ideal material to enhance the MMRTG based on the low cost and low risks associated with the material while producing a nearly identical efficiency relative to the other candidates. Keywords: eMMRTG, MMRTG, thermoelectric materials, thermoelectric generator, efficiency

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Section: Overview Of Problem and Its Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Lessons From Prior Responses To the Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Lessons From Prior Responses To the Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Lessons From Prior Responses To the Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Enhancing NASA's Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator Using Highly Efficient Thermoelectric Materials

Houtmann¹

2020

M:TURJ

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show abstract

“…The use of thermoelectric (TE) devices appea1-s as an elegant way to convert directly this waste heat into useful electricity using the Seebeck effect, with the advantage of having no moving paits insming silence, scalability, and robustness for a long-tem1 use. They have been used for yea1-s for space applications to power spatial probes for a mission far from the Sun [2], and more recently the Cmiosity and Pel'Severance revers launched on Mai• s [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%