Radioisotope Power Systems

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Radioisotope Heater Units

Fact Sheet About RHUs

Like a steady campfire that warms intrepid hikers in a remote forest, radioisotope heater units (RHUs) help bring dependable heat to wherever it’s needed for missions bound for the coldest corners of the solar system.

Credit

NASA

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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

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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

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Celebrating 45 years of Voyager I and II in space

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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

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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

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