W. James Adams NETS 2011 (Nuclear Emerging …anstd.ans.org/NETS2011/Documents/Presentations/Opening...
Transcript of W. James Adams NETS 2011 (Nuclear Emerging …anstd.ans.org/NETS2011/Documents/Presentations/Opening...
W. James Adams
February 7, 2011NETS 2011 (Nuclear Emerging Technologies for Space)
• RTG’s were used safely in 28 missions since 1961– 10 Earth orbit (Transit, Nimbus, LES)– 8 planetary (Pioneer, Voyager, Galileo, Ulysses,
Cassini, New Horizons)– 6 on lunar surface (Apollo ALSEP)– 4 on Mars surface (Viking 1 & 2)
• 3 RHUs on Mars Pathfinder, 8 RHUs for each MER
Radioisotope Power Enables Missions
1
10
100
1,000
10,000
100,000
1,000,000
10,000,000
100,000,000Tr
ansit
4A
Tras
it 4B
Tran
sit 5B
N
Tran
sit 5B
N
Tran
sit 5B
N
Nimb
us III
Pion
eer 1
0
Vikin
g 1
Vikin
g 2
Apoll
o 12 A
LSEP
Apoll
o 13 A
LSEP
Apoll
o 14 A
LSEP
Apoll
o 15 A
LSEP
Apoll
o 16 A
LSEP
Apoll
o 17 A
LSEP
TRIA
D
LES
8
LES
9
Voya
ger 1
Voya
ger 2
Galile
o
Ulys
ses
Cass
ini
P/NH MS
L
tbd
JEO
JEO
SNAP
-10A
Small
Fiss
ion
AFPS
Luna
r
Mars
DRM tbd tbd
SNAP-3B SNAP-9A SNAP-19 SNAP-27 Transit-RTG MHW GPHS-RTG MMRTG MMRTG reactor Robotic NEP NTP
Pow
er (W
atts
)
MissionsASRG
vsHuman Power Needs
Historical Present Future
Nuclear Power Enabled Missions