GPHS-RTG
Sign in to saveAlso known as general-purpose heat source—radioisotope thermoelectric generator, general-purpose heat source — radioisotope thermoelectric generator, general-purpose heat source - radioisotope thermoelectric generator
thumb|upright=1.36|Diagram of an RTG used on the Cassini probe thumb|right|Diagram of a stack of general-purpose heat source modules as used in RTGs thumb|right|Image of a plutonium RTG pellet glowing incandescence|red hot. GPHS-RTG or general-purpose heat source — radioisotope thermoelectric generator, is a specific design of the radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) used on US space missions. The GPHS-RTG was used on Ulysses (1), Galileo (2), Cassini-Huygens (3), and New Horizons (1).
Wikidata facts
- Diameter
- 0.422
- Mass
- 55.9
- Image
- RTG at New Horizons (cropped).jpg
- Length
- 1.14
Show 2 more facts
- Commons category
- General Purpose Heat Source Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (GPHS-RTG)
- nominal power output
- 292
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~2 min read
Article
4 sectionsContents
- GPHS-RTG missions
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|upright=1.36|Diagram of an RTG used on the Cassini probe thumb|right|Diagram of a stack of general-purpose heat source modules as used in RTGs thumb|right|Image of a plutonium RTG pellet glowing incandescence|red hot. GPHS-RTG or general-purpose heat source — radioisotope thermoelectric generator, is a specific design of the radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) used on US space missions. The GPHS-RTG was used on Ulysses (1), Galileo (2), Cassini-Huygens (3), and New Horizons (1).
The GPHS-RTG has an overall diameter of 0.422 m and a length of 1.14 m. Each GPHS-RTG has a mass of about 57 kg and generates about 300 watts of electrical power at the start of mission (5.2 We/kg), using about 8.1 kg of Pu-238 which produces about 4,400 watts of thermal power. The plutonium oxide fuel is in 18 GPHSs. Note that the GPHS are cuboid although they contain cylindrical plutonium based pellets.