![]() INL would fuel and test that power source.Īnd there’s more ahead for INL’s Space Nuclear Power and Isotope Technologies Division (SNPIT), which is getting more involved in space reactors for both nuclear thermal propulsion and fission surface power applications. Dragonfly is scheduled to launch in 2026. The next MMRTG will power the Dragonfly rotorcraft lander mission to explore Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. Generators fueled and tested at INL are currently powering the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover (launched in 2011), the Pluto New Horizons (launched in 2006) and most recently, the Perseverance Rover (launched in 2020) which successfully landed on Mars in 2021. Idaho National Laboratory’s Space Nuclear Power and Isotope Technologies Division assembles and tests Radioisotope Power Systems at Idaho National Laboratory’s Materials and Fuels Complex, then delivers the systems for use in remote, harsh environments such as space. WHAT IS INL’S ROLE WITH SPACE TRAVEL? Bob Gomez (left), Jon Bradley (center) and Courtney Swassing have worked on assembling and testing the power systems for several NASA missions, including the upcoming Perseverance Rover mission that will launch late this summer. Alex Mather of Virginia submitted the winning name. Perseverance was named following a nationwide “Name the Rover” contest, which received 28,000 entries from students in kindergarten through 12th grade. That includes testing a method for producing oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, identifying other resources (such as subsurface water), improving landing techniques, and characterizing weather, dust, and other environmental conditions that could affect future astronauts living and working on Mars. ![]() According to NASA, in addition to finding signs of life the mission provides opportunities to learn and demonstrate technologies that address the challenges of future human expeditions to Mars. The MMRTG will power Perseverance’s movement and instruments and help keep it warm while exploring the chilly Red Planet. Its mission is simple: To find signs of life and collect rock and soil samples for potential return to Earth in a future mission. On July 30, 2020, NASA launched their Mars Perseverance Rover.
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