Abstract

Radioisotope power systems (RPSs) have transformed our ability to explore the solar system. RPSs have been in existence for almost seven decades. Most missions have utilized ²³⁸Pu as the radioisotope of choice to generate electrical power and to produce heat for the operation and thermal management of spacecraft systems. In Europe, for the past decade ²⁴¹Am has been selected for RPS research programs. This paper hypothesizes that the inclusion of small quantities of relatively short-lived radioisotopes such as ²³²U and ²⁴⁴Cm, particularly when dealing with long-lived radioisotope ²⁴¹Am, could have beneficial implications for future RPS designs. This paper focuses on the thermal output implications and impact on system-level design. The authors recognize that the selection of any new or modified radioisotope heat source material will require extensive research on fuel form stability, the radiological impact, cost of production, containment, and launch safety considerations.

摘要

放射性同位素动力系统 (RPS) 改变了我们探索太阳系的能力。RPS 已经存在了将近七年。大多数任务都使用²³⁸ Pu 作为首选放射性同位素来发电和产生热量，以用于航天器系统的运行和热管理。在欧洲，在过去十年中，²⁴¹ Am 已被选为 RPS 研究项目。本文假设包括少量相对较短寿命的放射性同位素，例如²³² U和²⁴⁴ Cm，尤其是在处理长寿命放射性同位素^241时Am，可能对未来的 RPS 设计产生有益的影响。本文重点介绍热输出的含义和对系统级设计的影响。作者认识到，选择任何新的或改良的放射性同位素热源材料都需要对燃料形式稳定性、放射性影响、生产成本、遏制和发射安全考虑进行广泛研究。