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Radioisotope Power Systems
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GPHS Module (Display model)
A display model of the GPHS module.
Credit
NASA/DOE
ENLARGE
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NASA's Cassini spacecraft has delivered a glorious view of Saturn, taken while the spacecraft was in Saturn's shadow. The cameras were turned toward Saturn and the sun so that the planet and rings ...
A Splendor Seldom Seen
An illustration of the three topics and the photos of the winners of the 2019-2020 NASA Scientist for a Day Essay Contest
Winners of the 2019-2020 Scientist for a Day Contest
The fuel insertion on F2, the MMRTG that would power NASA's Curiosity Rover.
Fuel Insertion on F2 (Curiosity Rover's MMRTG)
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
A montage of New Horizons images of Jupiter and its volcanic moon Io, taken during the spacecraft's Jupiter flyby in early 2007.
Jupiter-Io Montage
Part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, Curiosity launched Nov. 26, 2011 and landed on Mars at 10:32 p.m. PDT on Aug. 5, 2012.
RPS 60th: Mars Curiosity Rover Shareable
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
The Cassini Division within Saturn's rings is visible through backyard telescopes on Earth as a dark, seemingly empty region. The division actually contains a great deal of structure.
Graceful Lanes of Ice
Voyager 2 was launched on August 20, 1977, from the NASA Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida, propelled into space on a Titan/Centaur rocket.
Voyager 2 Launch
Voyager 1 took this photo of Jupiter and two of its satellites (Io at left and Europa at right) as it approached its flyby encounter with the planet in 1979.
Jupiter, Io and Europa
The twin Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft are exploring where nothing from Earth has flown before.
RPS 60th: Voyager Shareable
This image shows the closest face-on view of Neptune's Great Dark Spot captured by the Voyager 2 spacecraft during the only visit to the most distant of the eight major planets in our solar system.
Neptune's Great Dark Spot
Illustration of Cassini flyng by the planet Venus.
Cassini Fly Past Venus - Illustration
Next Gen RTG Next Gen RTG - illustration
Next Gen RTG
MMRTG Dragonfly Mission: An illustration of the planned Dragonfly mission.
Illustration of the Planned Dragonfly Mission
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
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
An illustration of the planned Dragonfly spacecraft.
Artist Concept of the planned Dragonfly spacecraft
DRPS illustration of Sunpower Robust Stirling Convertor system from Sunpower, Inc.
Sunpower Robust Stirling Convertor (illustration)
Dragonfly is a NASA rotorcraft lander mission that will explore the chemistry and habitability of Saturn's largest moon, Titan.
RPS 60th: Dragonfly Mission to Titan Shareable
This illustration lists RHU-heated and RTG-powered spacecraft and the many moons and planets they have visited.
60th Anniversary: NASA's RHU-Heated and RTG-Powered Spacecraft
A stack of GPHS units ready for insertion on F2, the MMRTG that would power the Curiosity Rover.
GPHS Units Ready for Insertion
Humanity's most sophisticated rover launched at 7:50 a.m. EDT on July 30th on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Mars Perseverance Launches
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover took this selfie over a rock nicknamed "Rochette," on September 10, 2021, the 198th Martian day, or sol of the mission.
Perseverance's Selfie at Rochette
Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package (ALSEP) deployed on the lunar surface
ALSEP Deployed on the Lunar Surface
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While the spacecraft continues to return science data and otherwise operate as normal, the mission team is searching for the source of a system data issue.
Engineers Investigating NASA's Voyager 1 Telemetry Data
The rocks Perseverance has analyzed for sample collection are helping the team better understand a past marked by volcanic activity and water.
NASA's Perseverance Rover Collects Puzzle Pieces of Mars' History
Six decades after the launch of the first nuclear-powered space mission, Transit IV-A, NASA is embarking on a bold future of human exploration and scientific discovery.
After 60 Years, Nuclear Power for Spaceflight is Still Tried and True
This Sources Sought Notice seeks capabilities, innovative ideas for new system development, fiscal estimates, and potential collaboration that could lead to an industry/Government contract for development of a Dynamic Radioisotope Power System (DRPS) for use on the moon with desired extensibility to other solar system destinations.
Dynamic Radioisotope Power Systems Sources Sought Notice has been Released
Humanity's first and (so far) last visit to the outermost giant planet in our solar system was a monumental event for scientists and the public alike.
Power for Decades: Radioisotope Generator Helps Voyager 2 Keep Exploring 30 Years After Neptune Flyby
Two NASA scientists studying next-generation thermoelectric materials and converters for applications to radioisotope power systems have been awarded the 2019 Outstanding Achievement Award by the International Thermoelectric Society for their decades-long leadership and contributions to the field.
International Thermoelectric Society Honors Two NASA Scientists for Contributions to Advancements in Radioisotope Power Technology
