The Technology of Discovery

1The History of the Invention of Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) for Space Exploration

Chadwick D. Barklay

University of Dayton Research Institute, Dayton, Ohio

In December of 1903, the Wright Brothers made the first successful powered flight of an airplane. There are significant levels of examination of Orville and Wilbur’s incremental improvements to the original design of their flying machine to build the Wright Flyer II. However, there is not much appreciation of the backstory that inspired the brothers to explore the fundamentals of aerodynamics and pursue the research and development required to make a powered, heavier‐than‐air aircraft. Wilbur Wright indicated in a letter he wrote in 1912 that the pioneering work of Otto Lilienthal in the late 1800s was a precursor to their efforts. But it was a rubber band‐powered toy helicopter their father, Milton Wright, gave them in 1878 that Orville credited as the object that sparked their interest in flight.

As an opening discussion of the history of the radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), it is essential to understand the backstory of the invention that has allowed humankind to explore beyond the solar system’s boundaries. In 1954, Kenneth Jordan and John Birden invented the RTG at the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Mound Laboratory. Oral history posits that the two inventors drafted their initial design concept during lunch on a napkin in the Mound Laboratory cafeteria. Their initial research efforts ...