Microsphere Plutonium-238 Oxide Fuel to Revolutionize New Radioisotope Power Systems and Heat Sources for Planetary Exploration
Whitepaper #418 submitted to the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032. Topics: ocean worlds
by Jeffrey Katalenich and Joseph Sholtis
Published onMar 18, 2021
Microsphere Plutonium-238 Oxide Fuel to Revolutionize New Radioisotope Power Systems and Heat Sources for Planetary Exploration
We propose R&D activities supporting the advancement of improved radioisotope heat sources for future NASA exploration missions such as those to Ocean Worlds. To enable flexible geometries and high volumetric power loadings, microsphere-based heat sources are attractive. R&D would allow a feasibility assessment of microsphere-based heat sources.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0)
