[meteorite-list] U.S. Demonstrates Production of Fuel for Missions to the Solar System and Beyond

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 2015 16:16:30 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <201512230016.tBN0GUOw014578_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4806

U.S. Demonstrates Production of Fuel for Missions to the Solar System and Beyond
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
December 22, 2015

The first U.S. production in nearly 30 years of a specialized fuel to
power future deep space missions has been completed by researchers at
the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee.

The production of 50 grams of plutonium-238 -roughly the mass of a golf
ball - marks the first demonstration in the United States since the Savannah
River Plant in South Carolina ceased production in the late 1980s.

Radioisotope power systems convert heat from the natural radioactive decay
of the isotope plutonium-238 into electricity. These systems have been
used to power the exploration of the solar system and beyond, from the
Viking missions on Mars, to the Voyager spacecraft entering interplanetary
space, and most recently powering the Curiosity Mars Rover and the New
Horizons spacecraft sailing past Pluto.

"This significant achievement by our team mates at DOE signals a new renaissance
in the exploration of our solar system," said John Grunsfeld, associate
administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "Radioisotope
power systems are a key tool to power the next generation of planetary
orbiters, landers and rovers in our quest to unravel the mysteries of
the universe."

The success of the engineers and technicians at ORNL comes two years after
the project formally started with NASA funding, building on many years
of research and testing. This demonstration of the key steps in fuel production
will ensure that this vital space power technology will be available to
provide electricity and heat for ambitious exploration missions of the
solar system in this decade and beyond. In all, 27 past U.S. space missions
have used this radioisotope power for their electricity and heat.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has successfully and safely provided radioisotope
power systems for NASA, Navy and Air Force missions for more than 50 years.

"As we seek to expand our knowledge of the universe, the Department of
Energy will help ensure that our spacecraft have the power supply necessary
to go farther than ever before," said Franklin Orr, Under Secretary for
Science and Energy at DOE. "We're proud to work with NASA in this endeavor,
and we look forward to our continued partnership."

The currently available radioisotope power system, also supplied to NASA
by the DOE, is called the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator
(MMRTG). Essentially a nuclear battery, an MMRTG can provide about 110
watts of electrical power to a spacecraft and its science instruments
at the beginning of a mission. On some missions, such as NASA's Curiosity
Mars rover (now deep into its third Earth year seeking signs of habitable
conditions on the Red Planet), the excess heat from the MMRTG can also
be used to keep spacecraft systems warm in cold environments.

The next NASA mission planning to use an MMRTG is the Mars 2020 rover,
due to be launched as part of NASA's Journey to Mars, to seek signs of
past life on the Red Planet, test technology for human exploration, and
gather samples of rocks and soil that could be returned to Earth in the
future. Two (unfueled) MMRTGs are currently built and in storage at DOE
facilities; one is reserved for Mars 2020, and the other could be used
on a future mission. Fabrication of the fuel pellets for the Mars 2020
MMRTG, using the existing U.S. supply of plutonium dioxide, is already
underway.

Researchers will analyze the sample for chemical purity and plutonium-238
content to determine whether adjustments need to be made before scaling
up the process.

With continued coordination, both agencies plan to increase production
after this important demonstration milestone and will start with about
12 ounces (300 to 400 grams) of plutonium dioxide per year. After implementing
greater automation and scaling up the process, ORNL will produce an average
of 3.3 pounds (1.5 kilograms) in subsequent years.

Of the 77 pounds (35 kilograms) of existing plutonium-238, about half
provide enough heat to meet power specifications of planned spacecraft.
The remainder, due to its age, does not meet specifications, but can be
blended with newly produced Pu-238 to extend the usable inventory.

The DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy develops, manufactures, tests and delivers
radioisotope power systems for space exploration and national security
missions and maintains responsibility for nuclear safety throughout all
aspects of the missions.

NASA's Radioisotope Power System (RPS) program, managed by NASA Glenn
Research Center in Cleveland, is funding the development of new, higher
efficiency thermoelectric materials that could be incorporated into a
next-generation enhanced MMRTG that would provide about 25 percent more
power at the start of a typical mission, and 50 percent more power at
the end of a mission.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, is part of the
RPS program and manages several missions that utilize radioisotope power,
including the Curiosity Mars rover and the Cassini spacecraft at Saturn.

NASA works with the international science community to explore our solar
system and beyond. We look to answer big questions that intrigue us all
like how did our solar system originate and change over time, how did
the universe begin and evolve, what will be its destiny, and are we alone?


Media Contact

Dwayne Brown
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown at nasa.gov

Bart Jackson
Department of Energy Headquarters, Washington
202-586-1099
Bartlett.Jackson at hq.doe.gov

2015-386
Received on Tue 22 Dec 2015 07:16:30 PM PST