Open AccessStatus of NASA’s Advanced Radioisotope Power Conversion Technology Research and Development
Author(s) -
Wayne A. Wong,
David J. Anderson,
Karen Tuttle,
Roy C. Tew
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
aip conference proceedings
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Conference proceedings
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.177
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1551-7616
pISSN - 0094-243X
DOI - 10.1063/1.2169211
Subject(s) - systems engineering , technology development , power (physics) , research development , aerospace engineering , nuclear engineering , computer science , aeronautics , engineering , manufacturing engineering , physics , quantum mechanics , paleontology , test (biology) , biology
NASA’s Advanced Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) development program is funding the advancement of next generation power conversion technologies that will enable future missions that have requirements that can not be met by either the ubiquitous photovoltaic systems or by current Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS). Requirements of advanced radioisotope power systems include high efficiency and high specific power (watts/kilogram) in order to meet mission requirements with less radioisotope fuel and lower mass. Other Advanced RPS development goals include long‐life, reliability, and scalability so that these systems can meet requirements for a variety of future space applications including continual operation surface missions, outer‐planetary missions, and solar probe. This paper provides an update on the Radioisotope Power Conversion Technology Project which awarded ten Phase I contracts for research and development of a variety of power conversion technologies consisting of Brayton, Stirling, thermoelectri...
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