Radioisotope Heat Sources and Power Systems Enabling Ocean Worlds Subsurface and Ocean Access Missions
Whitepaper #322 submitted to the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032. Topics: habitability and water; ocean worlds; technology development
by David Woerner, Steve Johnson, Jean-Pierre Fleurial, Sam Howell, Brian Bairstow, and Miles Smith
Published onMar 18, 2021
Radioisotope Heat Sources and Power Systems Enabling Ocean Worlds Subsurface and Ocean Access Missions
The search for life in the solar system is one of the preeminent goals of planetary science. Ice-penetrating cryobots, capable of rapid penetration of ice shells down to an ice-ocean interface for ocean observations, require new technologies to be matured to ensure ocean access. We will discuss heat and power technologies to enable ocean access.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0)
