Title: Mars 2020 | Powering NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover - INL
Headings: 
INL POWERS MARS PERSEVERANCE ROVER
INL recently assembled, tested and delivered to Kennedy Space Center the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) that will power NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover.
Powering Perseverance: The Mars Rover has Landed
The Mission
WHAT IS INL’S ROLE WITH SPACE TRAVEL?
NATIONAL LABS FUEL SPACE EXPLORATION
WHAT IS AN MMRTG, AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
TIMELINE
HOT TOPICS
National labs resume plutonium production for space exploration
To Pluto and beyond: Work that reaches the stars
Spuds and Space: NASA and Idaho have a long history
Nuclear Reimagined Virtual Field Trip – Chapter 5: To infinity & beyond
Prepping the Perseverance Power Source
ATOMIC POWER IN SPACE II
A History of Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion in the United States
STEM ACTIVITY BOOK
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a rocket carrying Pu-238 has a problem on takeoff?
What is a Radioisotope Power System?
How does an RTG work?
Developing RTGs
History of RTGs
What’s next?
What is Plutonium-238?
What is Pu-238 used for?
Why does NASA need more Pu-238?
How is Pu-238 made?
What is INL’s role?
Who is funding the production of Pu-238?
What happens if a rocket carrying Pu-238 has a problem on takeoff?
What is a Radioisotope Power System?
How does an RTG work?
Developing RTGs
History of RTGs
What’s next?
What is Plutonium-238?
What is Pu-238 used for?
Why does NASA need more Pu-238?
How is Pu-238 made?
What is INL’s role?
Who is funding the production of Pu-238?
Multimedia Gallery
MARS 2020 ROVER
by Marco_Romero

Content: The lab, along with Idaho and Los Alamos national laboratories, is helping NASA beef up its fuel supply for plutonium-238 — an isotope used for deep space missions. While the United States has enough plutonium to fuel the space missions scheduled for the next decade, the domestic supply of plutonium is a limited resource. In order to establish a new supply of Pu-238 to enable future NASA missions, Congress directed the Department of Energy to resume Pu-238 production. The steps to produce new Pu-238 require many facilities and unique processing capabilities. INL’s Advanced Test Reactor is one of two sites (Oak Ridge’s High Flux Isotope Reactor is the other) where neptunium is converted to Pu-238. INL also assembles, tests, and delivers the power source to NASA. More Info
WHAT IS AN MMRTG, AND HOW DOES IT WORK? Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators are ideal for space missions because they are compact, durable and reliable, providing continuous power over long periods of time. The Department of Energy provides radioisotope power systems to NASA for civil space applications. The MMRTG for the Mars 2020 mission was fueled and tested at the DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory.