Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) Performance Data and Application to Life Modeling

摘要

The Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) has now fully demonstrated flight capability. The first flight unit (F1) which was fueled in 2008, remained in storage on load until launch in late 2011, and experienced Atlas launch loads as well as the dramatic entry, descent and landing (EDL) of MSL on Mars. It is currently performing beyond target performance requirements providing power to the Curiosity rover. Two additional flight units (F2 and F3) will be delivered to the Department of Energy for future NASA missions. These missions are currently undefined, but will likely have different mission profiles and MMRTG operating conditions. Data to project the MMRTG performance on new missions are limited. Along with the data from Fl, the MMRTG program is collecting data from the Engineering Unit, which has been on life test for more than 40,000 hours, and two couple life test boxes, which have been on test for more than 30,000 hours. These tests provide confidence that the MMRTG will perform as well in the various environments of future missions as it is currently powering the Curiosity Rover on Mars. However, the broad application of the data to comprehensive performance predictions is limited by the sparse number of test articles and the limited test conditions. The data from all these sources will be presented and compared and relevancy to life modeling will be discussed.