Intro -- Table of Contents -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Foreward -- Note From the Series Editor -- Preface -- Authors -- Reviewers -- Acknowledgments -- Glossary -- List of Acronyms and Abbreviations -- 1 The History of the Invention of Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) for Space Exploration -- References -- 2 The History of the United States's Flight and Terrestrial RTGs -- 2.1 Flight RTGS -- 2.2 Unflown Flight RTGs -- 2.3 Terrestrial RTGs -- 2.4 Conclusion -- References -- 3 US Space Flights Enabled by RTGs -- 3.1 SNAP-3B Missions (1961) -- 3.2 SNAP-9A Missions (1963-1964) -- 3.3 SNAP-19 Missions (1968-1975) -- 3.4 SNAP-27 Missions (1969-1972) -- 3.5 Transit-RTG Mission (1972) -- 3.6 MHW-RTG Missions (1976-1977) -- 3.7 GPHS-RTG Missions (1989-2006) -- 3.8 MMRTG Missions: (2011-Present (2021)) -- 3.9 Discussion of Flight Frequency -- 3.10 Summary of US Missions Enabled by RTGs -- References -- 4 Nuclear Systems Used for Space Exploration by Other Countries -- 4.1 Soviet Union1 -- 4.2 China -- References -- 5 Nuclear Physics, Radioisotope Fuels, and Protective Components -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Introduction to Nuclear Physics -- 5.3 Historic Radioisotope Fuels -- 5.4 Producing Modern PuO2 -- 5.5 Fuel, cladding, and encapsulations for modern -- 5.6 Summary -- References -- 6 A Primer on the Underlying Physics in Thermoelectrics -- 6.1 Underlying Physics in Thermoelectric Materials -- 6.2 Thermoelectric Theories and Limitations -- 6.3 Thermal Conductivity and Phonon Scattering -- References -- 7 End-to-End Assembly and Pre-flight Operations for RTGs -- 7.1 GPHS Assembly -- 7.2 RTG Fueling and Testing -- 7.3 RTG Delivery, Spacecraft Checkout, and RTG Integration for Flight -- References -- 8 Lifetime Performance of Spaceborne RTGs -- 8.1 Introduction -- 8.2 History of RTG Performance at a Glance.

8.3 RTG Performance by Generator Type -- References -- 9 Modern Analysis Tools and Techniques for RTGs -- 9.1 Analytical Tools for Evaluating Performance Degradation and Extrapolating Future Power -- 9.2 Effects of Thermal Inventory on Lifetime Performance -- 9.3 (Design) Life Performance Prediction -- 9.4 Radioisotope Power System Dose Estimation Tool (RPS-DET) -- References -- 10 Advanced US RTG Technologies in Development -- 10.1 Introduction -- 10.2 Skutterudite-based Thermoelectric Converter Technology for a Potential MMRTG Retrofit -- 10.3 Next Generation RTG Technology Evolution -- 10.4 Considerations for Emerging Commercial RTG Concepts -- References -- Index -- End User License Agreement.