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A Small Fission Power System for NASA Planetary Science Missions

Author
Mason, Lee
Published
December 2011.
Physical Description
1 electronic document
Additional Creators
Elliott, John, Nesmith, William, Werner, James, MacPherson, Duncan, Bechtel, Ryan, Poston, David, Casani, John, Fleurial, Jean-Pierre, Lipinski, Ron, Qualls, Arthur Lou, Radel, Ross, Houts, Michael, Bailey, Sterling, Weitzberg, Abraham, and Kapernick, Rick
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Summary
In March 2010, the Decadal Survey Giant Planets Panel (GPP) requested a short-turnaround study to evaluate the feasibility of a small Fission Power System (FPS) for future unspecified National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) science missions. FPS technology was considered a potential option for power levels that might not be achievable with radioisotope power systems. A study plan was generated and a joint NASA and Department of Energy (DOE) study team was formed. The team developed a set of notional requirements that included 1-kW electrical output, 15-year design life, and 2020 launch availability. After completing a short round of concept screening studies, the team selected a single concept for concentrated study and analysis. The selected concept is a solid block uranium-molybdenum reactor core with heat pipe cooling and distributed thermoelectric power converters directly coupled to aluminum radiator fins. This paper presents the preliminary configuration, mass summary, and proposed development program.
Other Subject(s)
Collection
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) Collection.
Note
Document ID: 20120000789.
E-17606.
NETS-2011-3318.
NASA/TM-2011-217099.
Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS-2011); 7-10 Feb. 2011; Albuquerque, NM; United States.
Terms of Use and Reproduction
Copyright, Distribution as joint owner in the copyright.
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