Radioisotope Power Systems

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First Picture From the Surface of Mars

Black and white image shows Viking 1 footpad and rocks on the surface of Mars.

Photojournal: PIA00381

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.

Viking 1's instruments were powered by two SNAP-19 RTGs.

Credit

NASA/JPL

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NASA has selected 45 semi-finalist of the Power to Explore Challenge, a national competition for K-12 students featuring the enabling power of radioisotopes.

NASA Names Semi-Finalists of the Power to Explore Challenge

NASA Names Semi-Finalists of the Power to Explore Challenge

NASA’s second Power to Explore Challenge inspires learning about how radioisotope power systems help us explore the extremes of our solar system. Credit: NASA/Gayle Dibiasio (ATS)

NASA Launches Power to Explore Challenge for K-12 Students

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Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) have provided the power to explore some of the deepest, darkest, and most distant destinations in the solar system and beyond. Voyager 1 is NASA’s furthest traveled spacecraft, and its science mission has been enabled by RPS for 45 years.

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Celebrating 45 years of Voyager I and II in space

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A team of scientists and engineers sponsored by NASA’s Radioisotope Power Systems Program won the American Nuclear Society’s 2022 Best Radioisotope Power Paper award. The society made the announcement following the Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS) conference, held May 8-12 in Cleveland.

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NASA used augmented reality to give STEM students a real-world mission planning experience.

NASA Uses Technology to Give Students an Out-of-this-World Experience

NASA Uses Technology to Give Students an Out-of-this-World Experience