published by
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
supported by the U.S. Department of Energy
This is a multimedia overview of RPS (radioisotope power systems), a type of nuclear energy technology that uses heat to produce electricity for powering spacecraft. The heat is produced by the natural radioactive decay of plutonium-238. RPS systems have been in use for more than 50 years, and could continue to support missions to some of the most extreme environments in the solar system. Advantages of RPS include: continuous operation over long-duration space missions, largely independent of changes in sunlight, temperature, charged particle radiation, or surface conditions like thick clouds or dust.
This resource is part of NASA's Solar System Exploration website. It includes videos, 3D interactive animations, illustrations, schematics of RPS components, and fact sheets about how the technology has been used in past missions. Please note that this resource requires Flash.
AAAS Benchmark Alignments (2008 Version)3. The Nature of Technology
3A. Technology and Science
4. The Physical Setting
4A. The Universe
4D. The Structure of Matter
4E. Energy Transformations
8. The Designed World
8C. Energy Sources and Use
Common Core State Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6—12
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (6-12)
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity (6-12)
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Record Link
<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12453">Department of Energy. NASA: Radioisotope Power Systems. Washington: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2021.</a>
AIP Format
(National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, 2021), WWW Document, (https://rps.nasa.gov/).
AJP/PRST-PER
NASA: Radioisotope Power Systems (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, 2021), <https://rps.nasa.gov/>.
APA Format
NASA: Radioisotope Power Systems. (2021). Retrieved April 26, 2024, from National Aeronautics and Space Administration: https://rps.nasa.gov/
Chicago Format
Department of Energy. NASA: Radioisotope Power Systems. Washington: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2021. https://rps.nasa.gov/ (accessed 26 April 2024).
MLA Format
NASA: Radioisotope Power Systems. Washington: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2021. Department of Energy. 26 Apr. 2024 <https://rps.nasa.gov/>.
BibTeX Export Format
@misc{
Title = {NASA: Radioisotope Power Systems},
Publisher = {National Aeronautics and Space Administration},
Volume = {2024},
Number = {26 April 2024},
Year = {2021}
}
Refer Export Format
%T NASA: Radioisotope Power Systems %D 2021 %I National Aeronautics and Space Administration %C Washington %U https://rps.nasa.gov/ %O text/html
EndNote Export Format
%0 Electronic Source %D 2021 %T NASA: Radioisotope Power Systems %I National Aeronautics and Space Administration %V 2024 %N 26 April 2024 %9 text/html %U https://rps.nasa.gov/ Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
Citation Source Information
The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual. The APA Style presented is based on information from APA Style.org: Electronic References. The Chicago Style presented is based on information from Examples of Chicago-Style Documentation. The MLA Style presented is based on information from the MLA FAQ. This resource is stored in a shared folder. You must login to access shared folders. NASA: Radioisotope Power Systems:
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