Enabling Solar System Exploration with Small Radioisotope Power Systems

Details Enabling Solar System Exploration with Small Radioisotope Power Systems Enabling Solar System Exploration with Small Radioisotope Power Systems

Dec 2005

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005agufm.p54a..07a&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2005, abstract #P54A-07

Biology

5200 Planetary Sciences: Astrobiology, 5400 Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets, 6200 Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects, 6900 Radio Science, 7200 Seismology

Scientific paper

The increased use of smaller spacecraft over the last decade, in combination with studies of potential science applications, has suggested that a wide range of low power missions and applications could be enabled by a new generation of conceptual small radioisotope power systems with power levels in the range of 20 mW to a few 10's of watts. Such systems have the potential to extend the capability of small science payloads and instruments, and to enable applications such as long-lived meteorological/seismological stations broadly distributed across planetary surfaces, navigational beacons, small landers or rovers at extreme latitudes or in regions of low solar flux, surface and atmosphere-based mobility systems, subsurface probes, including autonomous boring devices, and deep space micro-spacecraft and sub-satellites. Such units could also find application in future human exploration missions involving use of monitoring stations and autonomous devices, similar to the ALSEP units deployed on the Moon during the Apollo program. We present descriptions and performance predictions of conceptual milliwatt and multi-watt class small RPS designs. Our team has performed a number of mission studies to evaluate the potential contributions of small RPS systems. Among these are a long-duration Europa lander; MER-class Lunar and Mars rovers; small seismic monitoring stations; and an adjunct satellite for performing deep space fields and particles measurements. Although flight-qualified small RPS units do not presently exist, their potential to support a broad range of exploration tasks has led NASA and the Department of Energy (DOE) to consider their development such that they might be available for missions by the early part of next decade.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Enabling Solar System Exploration with Small Radioisotope Power Systems does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Enabling Solar System Exploration with Small Radioisotope Power Systems, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Enabling Solar System Exploration with Small Radioisotope Power Systems will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-751297