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Donald Savage
Headquarters, Washington                        May 7, 2003
(Phone: 202/358-1547)

RELEASE: c03-n

ADVANCED RADIOISOTOPE-POWER TECHNOLOGIES R&D TEAMS SELECTED

     NASA selected several radioisotope-based power-
conversion technologies for research and development (R&D). 
The awards are the first competitive technology procurement 
funded wholly by NASA's Project Prometheus.

These systems are distinguished by their use of new 
technologies for converting heat from radioisotope fuel into 
electrical power. The technologies are intended for use in 
improved radioisotope-power systems, which could provide 
higher efficiencies and power levels than those used on 
existing devices, enabling more sophisticated science 
instruments and spacecraft subsystems. The awards cover 
several distinct power-conversion technology areas: 
Thermoelectrics, Thermophotovoltaics, Stirling Engines, and 
Brayton Engines.

"With this award, NASA is laying the foundation for several 
technology paths that could enable entirely new classes of 
missions, from networked science stations on Mars to small 
spacecraft capable of complex maneuvers in deep space using 
high-performance electric thrusters," said Dr. George 
Schmidt, Program Executive for Radioisotope Power Systems at 
NASA Headquarters. "These new technologies could greatly 
expand the nation's ability to conduct future robotic 
planetary-exploration missions in deep space, or in mobile 
laboratories on the surfaces of planets and moons," he said.

Thermoelectrics, the thermal-to-electric power conversion 
method used on NASA missions since the early 1960s, has the 
advantage of employing no moving parts. Proposals selected in 
this area will concentrate on research of new thermoelectric 
materials and structures, and could achieve up to two-fold 
improvements in efficiency over existing systems. The 
Principal Investigators (PIs) selected by NASA's Office of 
Space Science: 
* Mildred Dresselhaus (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 
Cambridge, Mass.): 'Si-Ge Nanocomposites for Radioisotope 
Power Conversion'
* Saeid Ghamatay (Hi-Z Technology Inc., San Diego): 
'Multiwatt Quantum Well Thermoelectric'
* David Moul (Teledyne Energy Systems Inc., Hunt Valley, 
Md.): 'Segmented BiTe/PbTe-BiTe/TAGS/PbSnTe Thermoelectric 
Generators'
* Ben Heshmatpour (Teledyne Energy Systems Inc., Hunt Valley, 
Md.): 'Advanced Superlattice BiTe-PbTe/TAGS Milliwatt 
Radioisotope Power Systems'

Thermophotovoltaics, another method requiring no moving 
parts, operates similar to solar cells by converting 
electromagnetic radiation of heat to electric current. It 
could double or triple current generator efficiency. Selected 
PIs: 
* Christopher Crowley (Creare Inc., Hanover, N.H.): 
'Thermophotovoltaic Power Conversion Technology for 
Radioisotope Power Systems'
* William Horne (EDTEK Inc., Kent, Wash.): 
'Thermophotovoltaic Radioisotope Power Conversion Technology'
* Samar Sinharoy (Essential Research Inc., Brookpark, Ohio): 
'A Very High Thermophotovoltaic Converter for the General 
Purpose Heat Source'

Stirling Cycle Engines (SCE) have the potential of achieving 
efficiencies three-to-four times greater than existing 
systems. SCE have been used in space for sensor cooling and 
cryogenic storage. The selected PIs: 
* James Wood (Sunpower Inc., Athens, Ohio): 'Development of a 
High-Performance Next-Generation Stirling Radioisotope Power 
Converter'
* Mounir Ibrahim (Cleveland State University, Cleveland): 
'Developing the Next-Generation Stirling Engine Regenerator: 
Designing for Application of Microfabrication Techniques and 
for Enhanced Reliability and Performance in Space 
Applications'

Brayton Cycle Engines offer the potential of achieving very 
high efficiencies and could have the advantage of being 
compact and scaleable to higher power levels. The proposal 
selected in this area will apply microfabrication techniques 
to build and demonstrate a Brayton converter. The selected PI 
is Mark Zagarola (Creare Inc., Hanover, N.H.): 'A Turbo-
Brayton Power System for Radioisotope Power Conversion.'

Each award covers three, one-year performance periods. 
Continued support from one period to the next is contingent 
on program need, availability of funds, and each PI team's 
ability to meet proposed milestones. The total funding for 
this Research Announcement is $43 million, split into $13.4 
million, $7.5 million, $16.9 million and $5.2 million 
increments for fiscal year 2003 through 2006 respectively.

Project Prometheus, the Nuclear Systems Program, in the 
Office of Space Science, NASA Headquarters, manages the 
radioisotope power systems research and development. The 
Department of Energy, a key partner in this effort, develops 
the units used in flight applications. Project Prometheus is 
supported by NASA's Glenn Research Center, Cleveland; Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.; Marshall Space 
Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.; and Kennedy Space Center, 
Fla.

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