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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Statement of Task." National Research Council. 2009. Radioisotope Power Systems: An Imperative for Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Space Exploration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12653.
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Page 35

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Appendix A Statement of Task The Space Studies Board, in conjunction with the Aero- • Importance to the national interest of maintaining and/ nautics and Space Engineering Board, will appoint a study or reestablishing needed infrastructure at field centers, committee to prepare a report that addresses the following laboratories, and the private sector R&D base, given the issues regarding the development and use of radioisotope recent curtailment of RPS program content and ambi- power systems (RPSs) for NASA space missions: tious national goals in space exploration; • Strategies for reestablishment of 238Pu domestic pro- • Technical readiness and programmatic balance of duction versus the likelihood of continued procurement NASA’s RPS technology portfolio to support NASA of Russian-produced material in view of potential com- near- and long-term mission plans; petition for 238Pu fuel from other space-faring nations • Effectiveness and ability of U.S. Government agency and the critical shortage of U.S.-owned inventory; and management structures, including participating organi- • Identification of any actions that could be taken in zations, roles, and responsibilities, to meet stated goals the context of the overall RPS program to meet stated and objectives of U.S. programs for RPS capabilities s ­ cience and exploration goals. within the current statutory and policy framework; 35

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Spacecraft require electrical energy. This energy must be available in the outer reaches of the solar system where sunlight is very faint. It must be available through lunar nights that last for 14 days, through long periods of dark and cold at the higher latitudes on Mars, and in high-radiation fields such as those around Jupiter. Radioisotope power systems (RPSs) are the only available power source that can operate unconstrained in these environments for the long periods of time needed to accomplish many missions, and plutonium-238 (238Pu) is the only practical isotope for fueling them.

Plutonium-238 does not occur in nature. The committee does not believe that there is any additional 238Pu (or any operational 238Pu production facilities) available anywhere in the world.The total amount of 238Pu available for NASA is fixed, and essentially all of it is already dedicated to support several pending missions--the Mars Science Laboratory, Discovery 12, the Outer Planets Flagship 1 (OPF 1), and (perhaps) a small number of additional missions with a very small demand for 238Pu. If the status quo persists, the United States will not be able to provide RPSs for any subsequent missions.

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