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Radioisotope Power Systems
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Non-NASA RPS Missions Fleet Chart
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An illustration of NASA's Pioneer 11 flying by Jupiter.
Pioneer 11 at Jupiter (Illustration)
This high-resolution color photo of the surface of Mars was taken by Viking Lander 2 at its Utopia Planitia landing site on May 18, 1979.
Martian Frost
NASA's newest arrival on Mars, Perseverance will be collecting rock samples that a future mission will return to Earth.
RPS 60th: Mars Perseverance Rover Shareable
A color image of Arrakoth taken by the New Horizons spacecraft.
Enhanced-Color Composite Image of Kuiper Belt Object Arrokoth (2014 MU69)
The Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator for NASA'S Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is shown during a fit check with the rover at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 16-17, ...
Rover Power System
Astronaut Alan Bean prepares the RTG to be fueled.
Fueling the RTG on the Moon (image 2)
-- Updated as of March 2021 Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) have provided the power to explore, discover, and understand our solar system and beyond. This graphic shows the type and destinations ...
Flyby, Orbit, Rove, and Land
This logo was created to celebrate the first 60 years of space exploration made possible by Radioisotope Power Systems, RPS.
RPS 60th Anniversary Logo
Technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida perform a fit check between the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and its Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator on April 16-17, 2020.
Fitting the Rover's Power System
The spinning vortex of Saturn's north polar storm resembles a deep red rose of giant proportions surrounded by green foliage in this false-color image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
Saturn: The Rose
Astronaut Alan Bean prepares the RTG to be fueled.
Fueling the RTG on the Moon (image 1)
MMRTG Dragonfly Mission: An illustration of the planned Dragonfly mission.
Illustration of the Planned Dragonfly Mission
This panorama, taken on Feb. 20, 2021, by the Navigation Cameras, or Navcams, aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover, was stitched together from six individual images after they were sent back to Ea...
Perseverance Navcams 360-Degree Panorama
This montage shows a series of views from the European Space Agency's Huygens probe at four different altitudes as it descended to the surface of Saturn's moon Titan in 2005.
Huygens's Descent to Titan
Reddish spots and shallow pits pepper the enigmatic ridged surface of Jupiter's moon Europa in this view from NASA's Galileo spacecraft.
Ruddy "Freckles" on Europa
A false-color view, processed to reveal subtleties in the brightness of the overall plume that comprises the jets.
Jets of Enceladus
DRPS illustration of the Flexure Isotope Stirling Convertor system from American Superconductor.
Flexure Isotope Stirling Convertor System (illustration)
The fuel insertion on F2, the MMRTG that would power NASA's Curiosity Rover.
Fuel Insertion on F2 (Curiosity Rover's MMRTG)
A display model of the GPHS module.
GPHS Module (Display model)
This picture of asteroid Gaspra is a mosaic of two images taken by the Galileo spacecraft in 1991, during the first close approach of a spacecraft to an asteroid.
First Close Approach to an Asteroid
Scientist for a Day is an essay contest that challenges students in grades 5-12 to think like scientists.
Scientist for a Day Flyer - 2020-21
This iconic image was taken by NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft from a distance of almost 4 billion miles from Earth. From Voyager's great distance, Earth is a mere point of light, less than the size of...
Earth as a 'Pale Blue Dot'
A lightweight radioisotope heater unit
Lightweight Radioisotope Heater Unit
This image of the parachute that helped deliver NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover to the Martian surface was taken by the rover’s Mastcam-Z instrument on April 6, 2022, the 401st Martian day, or sol, ...
Perseverance Views Its Parachute
Graphite Impact Shell (GIS).
Graphite Impact Shell (GIS)
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This shipment of 0.5 kilograms (a little over 1 pound) of new heat source plutonium oxide is the largest since the domestic restart of plutonium-238 production over a decade ago.
NASA One Step Closer to Fueling Space Missions with Plutonium-238
NASA has officially launched its third Power to Explore Student Challenge.
NASA Seeks Students to Imagine Nuclear Powered Space Missions
Three student winners of NASA’s Power to Explore Challenge journeyed behind the scenes at NASA's Glenn Research Center after drafting the top papers in the national STEM essay contest.
STEM Essay Contest Winners Earn Close-Encounter Visit to NASA
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft plans to observe Uranus and Neptune from its location far out in the outer solar system this fall.
All Eyes on the Ice Giants
The question of how Saturn developed its brilliant rings is still very much an engaging and open question.
All That Glitters: Saturn's Rings Estimated to Be "Young"
NASA selected three winners out of nine finalists in the second annual Power to Explore Challenge, a national competition for elementary through high school students featuring the power of radioisotopes for space exploration.
NASA Announces Student Winners of Power to Explore Challenge
