{"id":16648,"date":"2025-07-22T23:46:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T23:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/16648\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T23:46:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T23:46:10","slug":"nasa-tests-new-heat-source-fuel-for-deep-space-exploration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/16648\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA Tests New Heat Source Fuel for Deep Space Exploration"},"content":{"rendered":"

To explore the unknown in deep space, millions of miles away from Earth, it\u2019s crucial for spacecraft to have ample power. NASA\u2019s radioisotope power systems (RPS) are a viable option for these missions and have been used for over 60 years, including for the agency\u2019s Voyager spacecraft <\/a>and Perseverance Mars rover<\/a>. These nuclear batteries provide long-term electrical power for spacecraft and science instruments using heat produced by the natural radioactive decay of radioisotopes. Now, NASA is testing a new type of RPS heat source fuel that could become an additional option for future long-duration journeys to extreme environments.<\/p>\n

Historically, the radioisotope plutonium-238 (plutonium oxide) has been NASA\u2019s RPS heat source fuel of choice, but americium-241 has been a source of interest for the past two decades in Europe. In January, the Thermal Energy Conversion Branch at NASA\u2019s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and the University of Leicester, based in the United Kingdom, partnered through an agreement to put this new option to the test.<\/p>\n

One method to generate electricity from radioisotope heat sources is the free-piston Stirling convertor. This is a heat engine that converts thermal energy into electrical energy. However, instead of a crankshaft to extract power, pistons float freely within the engine. It could operate for decades continuously without wear, as it does not have piston rings or rotating bearings that will eventually wear out. Thus, a Stirling convertor could generate more energy, allowing more time for exploration in deep space. Researchers from the University of Leicester \u2014 who have been leaders in the development of americium RPS and heater units for more than 15 years \u2014 and NASA worked to test the capabilities of a Stirling generator testbed powered by two electrically heated americium-241 heat source simulators.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe concept started as just a design, and we took it all the way to the prototype level: something close to a flight version of the generator,\u201d said Salvatore Oriti, mechanical engineer at Glenn. \u201cThe more impressive part is how quickly and inexpensively we got it done, only made possible by a great synergy between the NASA and University of Leicester teams.\u00a0We were on the same wavelength and shared the same mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n

The university provided the heat source simulators and generator housing. The heat source simulator is the exact size and shape of their real americium-241 heat source, but it uses embedded electric heaters to create an equivalent amount of heat to simulate the decay of americium fuel and therefore drive generator operation. The Stirling Research Lab at Glenn provided the test station, Stirling convertor hardware, and support equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cA particular highlight of this (testbed) design is that it is capable of withstanding a failed Stirling convertor without a loss of electrical power,\u201d said Hannah Sargeant, research fellow at the University of Leicester. \u201cThis feature was demonstrated successfully in the test campaign and highlights the robustness and reliability of an Americium-Radioisotope Stirling Generator for potential future spaceflight missions, including long-duration missions that could operate for many decades.\u201d<\/p>\n

The test proved the viability of an americium-fueled Stirling RPS, and performance and efficiency targets were successfully met. As for what\u2019s next, the Glenn team is pursuing the next version of the testbed that will be lower mass, higher fidelity, and undergo further environmental testing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very pleased with how smoothly everything went,\u201d Oriti said of the test results. \u201cUsually in my experience, you don\u2019t accomplish everything you set out to, but we did that and more. We plan to continue that level of success in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information on NASA\u2019s RPS programs, visit:
https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/rps<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"To explore the unknown in deep space, millions of miles away from Earth, it\u2019s crucial for spacecraft to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16649,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[10932,9957,3725,10933,90,10934,416,86,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-16648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-human-space-travel-research","tag-humans-in-space","tag-planetary-science","tag-radioisotope-power-systems-rps","tag-science","tag-science-research","tag-space","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16648\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}