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Radioisotope Power Systems

Resources

View iconic images made possible by RPS power. Watch video explanations of the power behind those images. Download fact sheets, reports, and more.

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.

Five engineers look intently at the upside-down Perseverance Rover. They are examining the rover's Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator.

Technicians in the payload processing facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida perform a fit check between NASA’S Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and its Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) on April 16-17, 2020. Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator

NASA/JPL-Caltech/KSC/DOE

Powered by RPS: Great Shots from Around the Solar System

26 Images

Radioisotope Power Systems

Videos

Videos and animations that explain radioisotope power.

A whimsical illustration shows an astronaut typing on a laptop as she floats in space. Words behind her say Dark, Dusty, Far

NASA

Featured Video

Space nuclear power to explore the deepest, dustiest, darkest, and most distant regions of our solar system and beyond.

NASA

Fact Sheets

NASA Facts: Next Generation Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators

Feb 20, 2024

PDF (1.27 MB)

NASA Facts: Multi-Mission Radioisotope
Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG)

Feb 20, 2024

PDF (969.27 KB)

NASA Facts: Mars 2020 Launch Nuclear Safety

Feb 20, 2024

PDF (972.06 KB)

NASA Facts: Radioisotope Power Systems:
Meeting Mission Needs

Feb 21, 2024

PDF (1,003.06 KB)

NASA Facts: What is Plutonium-238?

Feb 21, 2024

PDF (666.18 KB)

NASA Facts: Radioisotope Power and Heating for Mars Surface Exploration

Feb 21, 2024

PDF (328.80 KB)

NASA Facts: Mars Science Laboratory Launch Contingency Planning

Feb 21, 2024

PDF (665.24 KB)

NASA Facts: Mars Science Laboratory Launch Nuclear Safety

Feb 21, 2024

PDF (916.45 KB)

3D Viewer

Take a closer look at the MMRTG subsystem on NASA’s Perseverance rover with our interactive 3D viewer.

NASA

Reports

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.

Next-Generation RTG Study Final Report 2017

Feb 8, 2024

PDF (6.49 MB)

Diagram of a spacecraft

Nuclear Power Assessment Study – Final Report

Feb 8, 2024

PDF (4.47 MB)

Diagram of a spacecraft

NPAS Errata

Feb 8, 2024

PDF (224.75 KB)

featured report

2023-2032 Planetary Science Decadal Study

Origins, Worlds, and Life: A Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023-2032 highlights key science questions, identifies priority missions, and presents a comprehensive research strategy that includes both planetary defense and human exploration.

Download from the National Academies

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