NASA's Radioisotope Power Systems planning and potential future systems overview
| Autor: | Louis Qualls, Stephen G. Johnson, Dave F. Woerner, Dirk Cairns-Gallimore, June F. Zakrajsek |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Engineering
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences business.industry Electrical engineering Nuclear power Energy technology 01 natural sciences Electric power system Project planning Electricity generation Stirling radioisotope generator 0103 physical sciences Systems engineering System integration Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator business 010303 astronomy & astrophysics 0105 earth and related environmental sciences |
| Zdroj: | 2016 IEEE Aerospace Conference. |
| Popis: | The goal of NASA's Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) Program is to make RPS ready and available to support the exploration of the solar system in environments where the use of conventional solar or chemical power generation is impractical or insufficient to meet the needs of the missions. To meet this goal, the RPS Program, working closely with the Department of Energy, performs mission and system studies (such as the recently released Nuclear Power Assessment Study), assesses the readiness of promising technologies to infuse in future generators, assesses the sustainment of key RPS capabilities and knowledge, forecasts and tracks the Program's budgetary needs, and disseminates current information about RPS to the community of potential users. This process has been refined and used to determine the current content of the RPS Program's portfolio. This portfolio currently includes an effort to mature advanced thermoelectric technology for possible integration into an enhanced MultiMission Radioisotope Generator (eMMRTG), sustainment and production of the currently deployed MMRTG, and technology investments that could lead to a future Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG). This paper describes the program planning processes that have been used, the currently available MMRTG, and one of the potential future systems, the eMMRTG. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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