The Light-Weight Radioisotope Heater Unit (LWRHU) will be used on the NASA Galileo Mission to provide thermal energy to the various systems on the orbiter and probe that are adversely affected by the low temperature a spacecraft encounters during a long interplanetary mission. Using these plutonia-fueled sources in 1-W increments permits employment of a single design and provides the spacecraft user the option of how many to use and where to position them to satisfy the proper thermal environment for components requiring such consideration. The use of the radioisotope (sup 238)Pu in these devices necessitates the assessment of postulated radiological risks which might be experienced in case of accidents or malfunctions of the space shuttle or the spacecraft during phases of the mission in the vicinity of the earth. Included are data for the design, mission descriptions, postulated accidents with their consequences, test data, and the derived source terms and personnel exposures for the various events. 4 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.
Safety analysis for the Galileo Light-Weight Radioisotope Heater Unit
1990
8 pages
Report
No indication
English
Nuclear Auxiliary Power Systems , Radiation Shielding, Protection, & Safety , Space Safety , Astronautics , Radiation Hazards , Radioisotope Heat Sources , Accidents , Design , Earth Atmosphere , Failure Mode Analysis , Forecasting , Health Hazards , Impact Shock , Mission Analysis , Performance Testing , Planning , Plutonium Oxides , Probabilistic Estimation , Radioactivity Transport , Reentry , Risk Assessment , Space Vehicle Components , Spacecraft Power Supplies , Temperature Effects , Galileo spacecraft , EDB/070300
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