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Radioisotope Power Systems An Imperative for Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Space Exploration (2009) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix E: History of Space Nuclear Power Systems
Pages 46-49

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From page 46...
... used to date, the heat flows from a radioactive heat source, In 1946 the newly established RAND Corporation through an array of thermocouples, and to a heat sink, gen- explored the viability of orbital satellites and outlined the erating electricity in the process. These systems are called technologies necessary for their success (RAND, 1946)
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From page 47...
... The design philosophy at that generated 2 MW of thermal power and 100 kW of ­electricity, time was to require that the 238Pu oxide fuel totally burn up but because of high costs, schedule delays, and changing during reentry into Earth's atmosphere, which it did. national space mission priorities, the SP-100 program was As a result of that accident, the RPS design philosophy suspended in the early 1990s and later canceled.
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From page 48...
... This initiative wind and continue to send back the first information ever was driven by the discovery of "grand tour" trajectories received from the outer boundary of our solar neighborhood. that could enable relatively short missions to the planets of The Voyagers are expected to return scientific data until the outer solar system by using multiple planetary gravity the RPSs can no longer supply enough electrical energy to assists. This planetary configuration is rare, occurring only power critical systems.
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From page 49...
... NOTE: ALSEP, Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package; GPHS, General Purpose Heat Source; LES, Lincoln Experimental Satellite; MHW, Multi-hundred Watt; SNAP, Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power. SOURCES: Data from G.L.
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Key Terms

  • heat source
  • conversion engineering
  • energy conversion
  • international energy
  • outer solar

  • engineering conference
  • space agency
  • radioisotope power
  • power reactors
  • oxide fuel

  • kuiper belt
  • develop space
  • nuclear auxiliary
  • european space
  • nuclear electric

  • space missions
  • auxiliary power
  • power sources
  • horizons rtg
  • gphs rtg

  • source assembly
  • upper stage
  • gravity assist
  • project prometheus
  • design philosophy

  • space space
  • nuclear space
  • space selected
  • nuclear engineering
  • space sunlight


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