Research & Applications

Statement on the successful landing of NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars

Statement from American Nuclear Society President Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar and CEO Craig Piercy

February 18, 2021, 3:13PMPress Releases

ANS congratulates NASA for the successful landing of Perseverance on Mars. We look forward to watching from afar its exploration of the Red Planet and search for past microbial life. This is a proud moment as well for nuclear science and technology as a multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator will be powering the rover to mission success.

Credit must be given to Idaho National Laboratory for assembling and testing the generator and to Los Alamos and Oak Ridge national laboratories for producing its plutonium fuel, which will keep the rover’s instruments running and warm for years to come.

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marsnasanuclearperseveranceplutoniumpress release
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