ORNL produces some pretty out-of-this-world materials. Plutonium-238, a unique iridium alloy, and carbon-bonded carbon fiber are all key ingredients for deep space exploration. NASA uses these materials in the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, or MMRTG.
An MMRTG is like a nuclear-powered battery pack that can sustain far-reaching space missions for decades.NASA’s Perseverance mission to Mars is the latest to feature one of these generators outfitted with ORNL tech.
(Animations courtesy of NASA, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.)
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