{"id":587136,"date":"2024-01-04T13:01:19","date_gmt":"2024-01-04T18:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=587136"},"modified":"2024-01-04T13:01:20","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T18:01:20","slug":"thin-film-isotope-nuclear-engine-rocket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/general\/thin-film-isotope-nuclear-engine-rocket\/","title":{"rendered":"Thin Film Isotope Nuclear Engine Rocket (TFINER)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"padding-top-5 padding-bottom-3 width-full maxw-full hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-article-intro\"><div class=\"width-full maxw-full article-header\"><div class=\"margin-bottom-2 width-full maxw-full\"><p class=\"label carbon-60 margin-0 margin-bottom-3 padding-0\">3 min read<\/p><h1 class=\"display-48 margin-bottom-2\">Thin Film Isotope Nuclear Engine Rocket (TFINER)<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-ph-i-bickford-graphic.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1813\" height=\"1331\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-ph-i-bickford-graphic.png?w=1813\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Labeled Thin film isotope nuclear engine rocket in space with sun in the background.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 14%; object-position: 50% 14%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-ph-i-bickford-graphic.png 1813w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-ph-i-bickford-graphic.png?resize=300,220 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-ph-i-bickford-graphic.png?resize=768,564 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-ph-i-bickford-graphic.png?resize=1024,752 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-ph-i-bickford-graphic.png?resize=1536,1128 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-ph-i-bickford-graphic.png?resize=400,294 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-ph-i-bickford-graphic.png?resize=600,440 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-ph-i-bickford-graphic.png?resize=900,661 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-ph-i-bickford-graphic.png?resize=1200,881 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1813px) 100vw, 1813px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Graphic depiction of Thin Film Isotope Nuclear Engine Rocket (TFINER)<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">James Bickford<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>James<\/strong> <strong>Bickford<\/strong><br><em>Charles Stark Draper Laboratory<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New exciting missions, such as a rendezvous with a passing interstellar object, or a multi-target observing effort at the solar gravitational focus, require velocities that are well in excess of conventional rocketry. Exotic solar sail approaches may enable reaching the required distant localities, but are unable to then make the required propulsive maneuvers in deep space. Nuclear rockets are large and expensive systems with marginal capability to reach the location. In contrast, we propose a thin film nuclear isotope engine with sufficient capability to search, rendezvous and then return samples from distant and rapidly moving interstellar objects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The same technology allows a gravitational lens telescope to be repointed so a single mission could observe numerous high-value targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The basic concept is to manufacture thin sheets of a radioactive isotope and directly use the momentum of its decay products to generate thrust. The baseline design is a ~10-micron thick Thorium-228 radioisotope film which undergoes alpha decay with a halflife of 1.9 years. The subsequent decay chain cascade produces daughter products with four additional alpha emissions that have halflives between 300ns and 3 days. A thrust is produced when one side of the thin film is coated with a ~50-micron thick absorber that captures forward emissions. Multiple \u201cstages\u201d consisting of longer half-life isotopes (e.g. Ac-227) can be combined to maximize the velocity over extended mission timelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Key differentiators of the concepts are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Cascading isotope decay chains (Thorium cycle) increases performance by ~500%<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Multiple \u2018stages\u2019 (materials) increases delta-V and lifetime without reducing thrust<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Thrust sheet reconfiguration enables active thrust vectoring and spacecraft maneuvers<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Substrate thermo-electrics can generate excess electrical power (e.g. ~50 kW @ eff=1%)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 A substrate beta emitter can be used for charge neutralization or to induce a voltage bias that preferentially directs exhaust emissions and\/or to exploit the outbound solar wind<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leveraging 30kg of radioisotope (comparable to that launched on previous missions) spread over ~250 m^2 of area would provide more than 150 km\/sec of delta-V to a 30 kg payload. Multiple such systems could be inserted into a solar escape trajectory with a single conventional launch vehicle allowing local search and rendezvous operations in the outer solar system. The system is scalable to other payloads and missions. Key advantages are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Ability to reach a velocity greater than 100 km\/sec with spare capacity for rendezvous operations around objects outside the solar<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>system including options for sample return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Simple design based on known physics and well-known materials<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Scalable to smaller payloads (sensors) or to larger missions (e.g., telescopes)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Novel ability to reach deep space (> 150 AU) very quickly and then continue aggressive maneuvers (> 100 km\/sec) for dim object search\/rendezvous and\/or retargeting telescopes at the solar gravitational focus over a period of years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"\/general\/niac-2024-selections\">2024 Phase I Selection<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-topic-cards nasa-gb-align-full maxw-full width-full padding-y-6 padding-x-3 color-mode-dark hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-topic-cards\">\t\t<div class=\"grid-container grid-container-block-lg padding-x-0\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row flex-align-center margin-bottom-3\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"desktop:grid-col-8 margin-bottom-2 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"label color-carbon-60 margin-bottom-2\">Keep Exploring<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"heading-36 line-height-sm\">Discover More NIAC Topics<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row grid-gap-2 hds-topic-cards-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/space-technology-mission-directorate\/\" class=\"mobile:grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-6 desktop:grid-col-3 topic-card margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-topic-card hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"skrim-overlay skrim-overlay-dark skrim-left mobile-skrim-top padding-3 display-flex flex-align-end flex-justify-start z-200\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"hds-topic-card-heading heading-29 color-spacesuit-white line-height-sm margin-top-0 margin-bottom-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Space Technology Mission Directorate<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><circle class=\"color-nasa-red\" cx=\"16\" cy=\"16\" r=\"16\"><\/circle><path d=\"M8 16.956h12.604l-3.844 4.106 1.252 1.338L24 16l-5.988-6.4-1.252 1.338 3.844 4.106H8v1.912z\" class=\"color-spacesuit-white\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/stmd.jpg?w=525\" class=\"attachment-1536x1536 size-1536x1536\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); 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transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/niac_magnetosphere.png 1041w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/niac_magnetosphere.png?resize=300,150 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/niac_magnetosphere.png?resize=768,384 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/niac_magnetosphere.png?resize=1024,512 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/niac_magnetosphere.png?resize=400,200 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/niac_magnetosphere.png?resize=600,300 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/niac_magnetosphere.png?resize=900,450 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1041px) 100vw, 1041px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/niac-funded-studies\/\" class=\"mobile:grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-6 desktop:grid-col-3 topic-card margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-topic-card hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"skrim-overlay skrim-overlay-dark skrim-left mobile-skrim-top padding-3 display-flex flex-align-end flex-justify-start z-200\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"hds-topic-card-heading heading-29 color-spacesuit-white line-height-sm margin-top-0 margin-bottom-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>NIAC Funded Studies<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><circle class=\"color-nasa-red\" cx=\"16\" cy=\"16\" r=\"16\"><\/circle><path d=\"M8 16.956h12.604l-3.844 4.106 1.252 1.338L24 16l-5.988-6.4-1.252 1.338 3.844 4.106H8v1.912z\" class=\"color-spacesuit-white\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2022_niac_ph_i_ii_selections_web_graphic_banner_final_v2.png?w=1536\" class=\"attachment-1536x1536 size-1536x1536\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2022_niac_ph_i_ii_selections_web_graphic_banner_final_v2.png 4053w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2022_niac_ph_i_ii_selections_web_graphic_banner_final_v2.png?resize=300,92 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2022_niac_ph_i_ii_selections_web_graphic_banner_final_v2.png?resize=768,236 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2022_niac_ph_i_ii_selections_web_graphic_banner_final_v2.png?resize=1024,315 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2022_niac_ph_i_ii_selections_web_graphic_banner_final_v2.png?resize=1536,473 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2022_niac_ph_i_ii_selections_web_graphic_banner_final_v2.png?resize=2048,630 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2022_niac_ph_i_ii_selections_web_graphic_banner_final_v2.png?resize=400,123 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2022_niac_ph_i_ii_selections_web_graphic_banner_final_v2.png?resize=600,185 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2022_niac_ph_i_ii_selections_web_graphic_banner_final_v2.png?resize=900,277 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2022_niac_ph_i_ii_selections_web_graphic_banner_final_v2.png?resize=1200,369 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2022_niac_ph_i_ii_selections_web_graphic_banner_final_v2.png?resize=2000,615 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/about-niac\/\" class=\"mobile:grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-6 desktop:grid-col-3 topic-card margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-topic-card hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"skrim-overlay skrim-overlay-dark skrim-left mobile-skrim-top padding-3 display-flex flex-align-end flex-justify-start z-200\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"hds-topic-card-heading heading-29 color-spacesuit-white line-height-sm margin-top-0 margin-bottom-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>About NIAC<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><circle class=\"color-nasa-red\" cx=\"16\" cy=\"16\" r=\"16\"><\/circle><path d=\"M8 16.956h12.604l-3.844 4.106 1.252 1.338L24 16l-5.988-6.4-1.252 1.338 3.844 4.106H8v1.912z\" class=\"color-spacesuit-white\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"649\" height=\"766\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/niac_2019_howe_troy.png?w=649\" class=\"attachment-1536x1536 size-1536x1536\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/niac_2019_howe_troy.png 649w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/niac_2019_howe_troy.png?resize=254,300 254w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/niac_2019_howe_troy.png?resize=339,400 339w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/niac_2019_howe_troy.png?resize=508,600 508w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 649px) 100vw, 649px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>James BickfordCharles Stark Draper Laboratory New exciting missions, such as a rendezvous with a passing interstellar object, or a multi-target observing effort at the solar gravitational focus, require velocities that are well in excess of conventional rocketry. Exotic solar sail approaches may enable reaching the required distant localities, but are unable to then make the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":587143,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"66","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[9529,12691],"coauthors":[8624],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Thin Film Isotope Nuclear Engine Rocket (TFINER)","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/general\/thin-film-isotope-nuclear-engine-rocket\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/general\/thin-film-isotope-nuclear-engine-rocket\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-ph-i-bickford-graphic.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-ph-i-bickford-graphic.png"},"articleSection":"General","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Loura Hall"}],"creator":["Loura Hall"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["General"],"dateCreated":"2024-01-04T18:01:19Z","datePublished":"2024-01-04T18:01:19Z","dateModified":"2024-01-04T18:01:20Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Thin Film Isotope Nuclear Engine Rocket (TFINER)\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/general\/thin-film-isotope-nuclear-engine-rocket\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-ph-i-bickford-graphic.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2024-01-04T18:01:19Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"General\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"General\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Loura Hall\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":3,"time_ago":"5 months","featured_image":{"id":587143,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-ph-i-bickford-graphic.png","title":"NIAC 2024 Bickford","alt":"Labeled Thin film isotope nuclear engine rocket in space with sun in the background.","caption":"Graphic depiction of Thin Film Isotope Nuclear Engine Rocket (TFINER)"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587136"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=587136"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":587941,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587136\/revisions\/587941"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/587143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=587136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=587136"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=587136"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=587136"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=587136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}