Radioisotope Power Systems

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First Close Approach to an Asteroid

Picture of asteroid Gaspra as a mosaic of two images

Photojournal: PIA00119

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.

Credit

NASA/JPL/USGS

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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

NASA Launches Power to Explore Challenge for K-12 Students

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.

NASA Celebrates 45 Years of Voyager 1, Enabled by Radioisotope Power

NASA Celebrates 45 Years of Voyager 1, Enabled by Radioisotope Power

Celebrating 45 years of Voyager I and II in space

Voyager, NASA's Longest-Lived Mission, Logs 45 Years in Space

Voyager, NASA's Longest-Lived Mission, Logs 45 Years in Space

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.

Silicon-Germanium Unicouple Paper Wins Best Radioisotope Power Paper Award

Silicon-Germanium Unicouple Paper Wins Best Radioisotope Power Paper Award

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