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Radioisotope Power Systems
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Cassini RTG
3D Model of one of Cassini's RTGs
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Launched on June 29, 1961, Transit IV-A was the first satellite to carry a radioisotope power system into space.
RPS 60th: Transit IV-A Shareable
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
This is the first 360-degree panorama taken by Mastcam-Z, a zoomable pair of cameras aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. The panorama was stitched together on Earth from 142 individual images ta...
Mastcam-Z's First 360-Degree Panorama
A single RHU passively radiates about one watt of heat. When placed carefully aboard a spacecraft or inside a rover, the heat compensates for cold temperatures in beyond Earth.
What are Radioisotope Heater Units (RHUs)?
Dynamic Radioisotope Power Systems (DRPS) NASA and the Department of Energy (DOE) are working together to enable more capable space missions through the development of Dynamic Radioisotope Powe...
Dynamic Radioisotope Power Systems (DRPS)
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
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
An improved, color enhanced version of the 360-degree Gallery Pan taken by Mars Pathfinder in 1997.
Mars Pathfinder Panorama
3D model of Voyager's RTG
Voyager RTG
NASA’s Mars 2020 mission is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July 2020.
Mars 2020 Launch Nuclear Safety
One chart showing all of the RPS powered and RHU-heated spacecraft and the planets they have explored
NASA RPS Missions: RHU-Heated and RTG-Powered Spacecraft Lithograph
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
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
Ensuring the safety of launch-site workers and the general public in the communities surrounding the launch area is the primary consideration in this planning.
Mars Science Laboratory Launch Contingency Planning
Build your own MMRTG model
MMRTG Model Building Instructions
Neptune's largest moon Triton, is seen in this mosaic of images captured by Voyager 2 during the only visit thus far to the Neptune system.
Voyager's view of Triton
This illustration lists RHU-heated and RTG-powered spacecraft and the many moons and planets they have visited.
NASA's RHU-Heated and RTG-Powered Spacecraft
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 image shows the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator for NASA'S Mars 2020 Perseverance rover during a fit check at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 16-17, 2020.
Testing Rover Power System
3D model of Curiosity's RTG
Curiosity RTG
There are no gas stations or power outlets in space. That's why NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars — and some other NASA spacecraft that explore the solar system — use something called "radioisotope po...
Spacecraft Power for Mars Rovers (Curiosity & Perseverance)
The first photograph ever taken on the surface of the planet Mars. It was obtained by Viking 1 just minutes after the spacecraft landed successfully landing on Mars in July 1976.
First Picture From the Surface of Mars
-- 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
If you are a K-12 student in the United States, your challenge is to dream up a new RPS-powered space mission and tell NASA all about it in 200 words or less.
Power to Explore Student Essay Contest 2024
Algunas de las misiones más atrevidas y emocionantes de la NASA de exploración de nuestro sistema solar se han hecho realidad gracias a un descubrimiento de hace 200 años.
¿Cómo funciona un generador termoeléctrico de radioisótopos? El efecto Seebeck (Video)
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After some inventive sleuthing, the mission team can — for the first time in five months — check the health and status of the most distant human-made object in existence
NASA's Voyager 1 Resumes Sending Engineering Updates to Earth
NASA announced the winners on Wednesday of the third annual Power to Explore Challenge, a national writing competition designed to teach K-12 students about the power of radioisotopes for space exploration.
NASA Announces Winners of Power to Explore Challenge
Discovery also suggests more possible targets for a distant future spacecraft flyby.
NASA's New Horizons Detects Dusty Hints of Extended Kuiper Belt
NASA has selected the nine finalists of the Power to Explore Challenge, a national competition for K-12 students featuring the enabling power of radioisotopes.
NASA Names Finalists of the Power to Explore Challenge
NASA selected 45 student essays as semifinalists of its 2024 Power to Explore Challenge, a national competition for K-12 students featuring the enabling power of radioisotopes.
NASA Announces Semifinalists of Power to Explore Challenge
NASA has officially launched its third Power to Explore Student Challenge.
NASA Seeks Students to Imagine Nuclear Powered Space Missions
