Radioisotope Power Systems Images

Images of Radioistope Power Systems, including Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs), diagrams, Stirling converters, and other nuclear heat and power technologies.

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New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments and a radioisotope thermoelectric generator. The spacecraft weighs 1,060 pounds.
Two men work on a grand piano-sized spacecraft wrapped in a gold insulating blanket. A large cylinder, a radioisotope thermoelectric generator, sticks out of the side.
The Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) for NASA'S Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is shown during a fit check with the...
The rover is upside down in this straight from the back view. The image is centered on a cylinder with fins, the spacecraft's Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator.
NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its onboard Right Navigation Camera (Navcam). The camera is located high on...
The cyclinder and fins of Perseverance's radioisotope thermoelectric generator on Mars.
Technicians in the payload processing facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida perform a fit check between NASA'S Mars...
Five engineers look intently at the upside-down Perseverance Rover. They are examining the rover's Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator.
A radioisotope thermoelectric generator is mounted to the Cassini spacecraft before launch in 1997.
A long, black cylinder with fins on it is mounted to the side of a spacecraft.
Viking 1 Lander image of Chryse Planitia looking over the lander. The large white object at lower left and center,...
A rocky plain on Mars is visible over the top of the Viking 1 lander. Part of the top deck of the lander, including a large antenna dish, are visible in the foreground.
This image shows the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator for NASA'S Mars 2020 Perseverance rover during a fit check with the...
The rover is wheels up and still under construction. and the radioisotope
Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean extracts the fuel element of a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) from storage on the lunar...
The astronaut is standing on the Moon next to the landing module. He is extracting a round cylinder from a storage compartment on the side.
The electricity needed to operate NASA's Mars 2020 rover is provided by a power system called a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric...
A partially assembled Mars rover in the cleanroom at JPL. The rover's Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator is jutting from the back of the rover.
Each of NASA's Voyager probes are equipped with three radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), including the one shown here at NASA's...
Two black cylinders stacked on top of each other.
Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package (ALSEP) placed on the Moon by the crew of Apollo 14. The RTG is the...
An astronaut casts a long shadow on the Moon as he photographs scientific equipment on the lunar surface.
This rectangular version of a self-portrait of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity combines dozens of exposures taken by the rover's Mars...
A Mars rover is parked among the tire tracks it made on Mars in this composite image.
There are no gas stations or mechanics in deep space. So, if you want the power to perform science in...
A man in a lab coat is working on a complex machine bristling with tubes, wires and gauges.
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover looks back at its wheel tracks on March 17, 2022, the 381st Martian day, or sol,...
Twin wheel tracks extend to the horizon in this view over the back of the rover.
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover, including its Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (white cylinder with fins), is shown on sol 108 of...
A rock-strewn landscape is visible behind over the back of the Mars rover Perseverance.
A stack of General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) units awaits assembly and integration into the Mars rover Curiosity. This power...
The eight small General Purpose Heat Source blocks are stacked in a secure chamber filled with dials, gauges and valves.
This map of Mars shows the landing sites of all NASA RTG-powered Mars rovers and landers as of 2021. Viking...
An aerial map of Mars marked with the landing sites of Viking 1, Viking 2, Curiosity, and Perseverance.
For more than six decades, radioisotope power systems (RPS) (RPS) have played a critical role in the exploration of space,...
The logos of NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy at at the center of a hub listing each mission powered by a Radioisotope Power System or heated by a Radioisotope Heating Unit and the destination they explores. Destinations span Venus to the Kuiper Belt and beyond.
Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) have provided the power to explore, discover, and understand our solar system and beyond. This graphic...
A radial hub with the Sun at the center shows the science destinations of Radioisotope Power System missions. There have been five flyby missions, four orbiters, three rovers and three landers.
Seven non-NASA American spacecraft - two communication satellites and five navigational orbiters - have been launched since 1961.
This infographic featuring a full disc view of Earth an a big American flag lists seven Earth orbiting spacecraft. Two were launched by the U.S. Air Force. Five were launched by the U.S. Navy.
This is a display model of a General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) module. The GPHS module provides steady heat for...
A small, square black box.
Radioisotope Heater Units (RHUs) are small devices that use the decay of plutonium-238 to provide heat to keep a spacecraft's...
A small dark cylinder.
Labeled pull-apart view showing the major components of the MMRTG, or Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator.
This pull apart graphic shows the stacked power sources extended from a cylinder with cooling fins.