This program is being conducted to provide two Sr-90 power systems (one 5-watt and one 30-watt) to the Coast Guard for use as floating and shore based navigation lights. The 5-watt system (SNAP-7A) was completed and delivered in fiscal year 1962. It was returned to the contractor for rework in fiscal year 1963 and will be redelivered to Coast Guard by the last quarter of fiscal year 1963. The 30-watt system (SNAP-7B) will be completed, fueled, tested, and delivered during the last quarter of fiscal year 1963.

This program is conducted to provide two Sr-90 power systems (one 5-watt and one 30-watt) to the Department of the Navy to be used for an antarctic landbased weather station and a boat-type automatic weather station. The 5-watt system (SNAP-7C) was completed and delivered in fiscal year 1962. The 30watt system (SNAP-7D) will be completed and delivered during the last quarter of fiscal year 1963.

This program is to provide one 5-watt Sr-90 power unit for deep-sea application. Initial deep-sea operational test of the system by the Navy in September 1962 disclosed leaks in the containment vessel and rework is necessary to provide watertight operation. This unit is expected to be completed during the last quarter of fiscal year 1963.

The

This program will provide three 20-watt Pu-238 power systems for the Department of the Navy Transit Satellite Program. One generator was completed in fiscal year 1962, and the other two in fiscal year 1963. One generator will be reworked in fiscal year 1963 and additional voltage converters fabricated. fiscal year 1963 estimate provides $117,000 for safety tests and the completion of studies on safety and system integration, and $137,000 to complete fabrication and test of generators and converters. The fiscal year 1964 funds provide for contractor support of launch operations.

The SNAP-11 program is to provide two Cm-242 prototype power units to NASA for use in Surveyor soft lunar landing probes. During fiscal year 1962, the determination of the generator configuration and evaluation of materials was completed; heat transfer mockups were fabricated; and safety fire tests performed. During fiscal year 1963, thermal vacuum tests of the heat transfer mockups will be performed and critical generator components will be fabricated and tested. The fabrication of two flight generators will begin in fiscal year 1964. These generators will be completed, fueled, and delivered in fiscal year 1965.

This program is to develop a low-power (122-watt) cesium-vapor thermionic unit to demonstrate the feasibility of using a Cm-242 radioisotope heat source in such an energy conversion device. The thermionic principle has the potential of high efficiencies, and significantly lower weight and smaller size than thermoelectric units. Such a unit will have wide space application. During fiscal year 1962, five breadboard generators were fabricated and tested. During fiscal year 1963, two electrically heated prototypes are being fabricated and subjected to life tests. A fueling fixture ($100,000) is being designed, fabricated, and tested to permit handling the extremely high-temperature curium-242 fuel capsules in the fueling operation. During the first half of fiscal year 1964, the design and fabrication of two prototypes unit will be completed. One unit will be simulatedloaded and put on test under electric heat. The other unit will be fueled in midfiscal year 1964 and put on performance test. The flight prototype will be designed, component testing will be conducted, and fabrication will be initiated in fiscal year 1964, with final assembly, fueling, and testing to be conducted in fiscal year 1965.

The purpose of this program is to develop a 40-watt radioisotope thermoelectric system for NASĂ to provide electric power for the interplanetary monitoring probe (IMP) program. The detailed design of this generator was initiated in fiscal year 1963, and will be completed in early fiscal year 1964. The fabrication, assembly, and test of flight systems fueled with Pu-238 will begin in fiscal

year 1964, and delivery of the units will be made in the first quarter of fiscal year 1965.

This program will develop long-lived, lightweight, Sr-90 fueled, compact electric power sources for use in communications satellites. The first objective of this program is to develop 35-watt units with a 5-year lifetime for use in the military comsat program. Two test generators capable of using Sr-90 or Pu-238 will be available in early fiscal year 1965 and five prototype systems using Sr-90 in late fiscal year 1965. The preliminary design of the generator and ground handling studies will be conducted during fiscal year 1963. During fiscal year 1964, electrically heated units will be fabricated and tested, ground handling procedures and vehicle integration will be demonstrated, and the fabrication and test of the two test generators will be initiated.

The objective of this program is to improve the Sr-90 generators developed under the SNAP-7 program and to provide generators requested by Bureau of Ships and Bureau of Weapons. The present SNAP-7's were designed for specific power levels and applications and are relatively expensive to fabricate even in production quantities. It is proposed to develop a series of economical, production-oriented generators at power levels from 10 to 60 watts to meet various agency requirements with a minimum of modifications to meet specific application. The fiscal year 1964 funding provides for initiation of research and development, which will be increased in fiscal year 1964. During fiscal year 1964, a 10-watt unit will be fabricated, tested, and fueled and delivered to Bureau of Ships (NEL). Fabrication of a 60-watt generator for Bureau of Weapons will begin in fiscal year 1964, with completion, fueling, and delivery scheduled for fiscal year 1965.

The development of a milliwatt generator, for use in the prescribed action links (PAL) control system associated with nuclear weapons, will be initiated during the last half of fiscal year 1963. The fabrication and assembly is expected to be completed during fiscal year 1964, and reliability testing initiated. The development of a higher power system (approximately 150 milliwatts) will be phased into the program early in fiscal year 1964, for completion on about the same schedule as the milliwatt system.

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This research and development provides the basic technology required to sup port devices currently under development, to improve existing concepts, to pro vide for the proof-of-principle development of new concepts, and to establish the technology and preliminary parameters required to form the basis for the futur development of advanced concepts. The major areas of effort are: Thermoelec tric system development to improve thermoelectric element fabrication, investi gate high-termperature materials, and develop a generator utilizing inexpensive mixed fission products; thermionic system development which will lead to a highpowered generator, thus increasing the power level potential of radioisotopefueled generators. The distribution of funds by area is as follows:

SNAP-2 is a 1-year life 3-electrical-kilowatt auxiliary power system which the Air Force intends to use for operational satellite missions. It will utilize a mercury vapor turboelectric power conversion system. The development approach is to design and endurance test all components and flight ground test systems to meet a 1-year life objective. An orbital test will be made of the flight unit design after it has terrestrially demonstrated a 90-day operational capability during endurance testing. The orbital tests had to be rescheduled when the program was extended in fiscal year 1962 and again in fiscal year 1963 because of development difficulties encountered in the turboelectric generator unit. It is now estimated that these flight tests will be made during calendar year 1966.

The increase in fiscal year 1964 is due primarily to: (1) Additional effort for engineering, analysis, and design to establish detailed flight component specifications; (2) the intensification of subsystem development effort particularly on the turboelectric generator, radiator condenser, and reflector drive systems, and (3) the initiation of the fabrication of mockup units, and development of ground handling equipment for delivery to the Air Force.

The objective of this program is to develop a 1-to-4 megawatt electrical nuclear powerplant for terrestrial applications. It is conceived as a zirconium-uraniu m alloy hydride fixed-moderator fueled, direct boiling water cooled reactor, readily transportable, and capable of unattended, remote operation and automatic startup and shutdown. Design parameter studies and component evaluation were performed during fiscal year 1961. Preliminary component development and critical experiment were conducted during fiscal year 1962. During fiscal year 1963, component development will continue to the point where preliminary design and development of essential core fabrication techniques are completed. During fiscal year 1964, fuel irradiation experiments will be completed and post irradiation analysis and reports preparation conducted.

The SNAP-8 program objective is to meet the NASA requirement to provide a 35-kilowatt-electrical nuclear auxiliary power system for use by the NASA in their space program. The current guidance for NASA states that this system is considered for eventual flight test in one of the Saturn vehicles, but that a flight test schedule date cannot be specified at this time. The power conversion system development is the responsibility of the NASA. The AEC responsibility is for the development of the reactor, reactor controls, shielding, optimization for minimum weight, and for all development alground testing of integrated reactor power conversion systems. The NASA has expanded their test schedule to significantly emphasize system reliability and performance; and has requested that the scope of AEC reactor development program be in consonance with the NASA program. A revaluation of the AEC program has been made, and this budget request reflects a reactor development schedule that meshes with the NASA schedule, and incorporates significantly increased emphasis on system and reactor component development and qualification, fuel element development, backup components, shield development, and associated engineering and analysis. The areas requiring the major increases are discussed below. The present schedule calls for the delivery in early fiscal year 1968 of two flight reactors to NASA for testing in the NASA Plumbrook space environmental facility.

The fiscal year 1964 increase is due primarily to: (1) Additional reactor engineering, analysis and design to establish performance criteria for components as a guide to component development work; (2) increased effort on fuel element development to reduce hydrogen loss and to improve fuel fabrication techniques, and on reactor components to retard reflector oxidation and prevent self-welding of control drums, actuators, and drives; (3) the fabrication, assembly, and initial critical experiments of the ground prototype nuclear system, as well as initiation of design of mockup systems to be delivered to NASA for compatability tests.