NASA will be launching a Mars-bound probe in July of 2020 and Martian rover powered by some good, old-fashioned, Idaho-made radioactive decay. Scientists at INL's Space Nuclear Power and Isotope Technologies Division will assemble a plutonium-238 fueled energy unit to power the next rover to traverse the Red Planet. Idaho Matters speaks with the division's director, Dr. Stephen Johnson, about building a better battery for surviving the Martian landscape.
INL Scientists Preparing Power Source For The Next Mars Rover
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Scientists with INL's Space Nuclear Power and Isotope Technologies Division prepare a multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator for a Mars rover.
Idaho National Laboratory
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Scientists with INL's Space Nuclear Power and Isotope Technologies Division prepare a multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator for a Mars rover.
Idaho National Laboratory
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NASA’s rover Curiosity is powered by a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG), which uses the decay heat of plutonium-238 to provide dependable power while on Mars.";
NASA/JPL/INL
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NASA’s rover Curiosity is powered by a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG), which uses the decay heat of plutonium-238 to provide dependable power while on Mars.";
NASA/JPL/INL