SNAP-27 Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator

Donate Now

One museum, two locations

Visit us in Washington, DC and Chantilly, VA to explore hundreds of the world’s most significant objects in aviation and space history. Free timed-entry passes are required for the Museum in DC.

Visit

National Air and Space Museum in DC

Udvar-Hazy Center in VA

Plan a field trip

Plan a group visit

At the museum and online

Discover our exhibitions and participate in programs both in person or virtually.

What's On

Events

Exhibitions

IMAX and Planetarium

Dive deep into air and space

Browse our collections, stories, research, and on demand content.

Explore

Stories

Topics

Collections

On demand

For researchers

For teachers and parents

Bring the Air and Space Museum to your learners, wherever you are.

Learn

Programs

Learning resources

Plan a field trip

Educator professional development

Education monthly theme

Be the spark

Your support will help fund exhibitions, educational programming, and preservation efforts.

Give

Become a member

Wall of Honor

Ways to give

Host an Event

SNAP-27 Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator

The SNAP-27 Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) converted the heat energy from radioactive decay to electrical energy. Five such RTGs provided electric power for the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Packages (ALSEP) left on the Moon by Apollos 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17.

ID#:

WEB13241-2013

Source:

Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum

Copyright:

Smithsonian Institution

Rights Usage:

Contact Smithsonian Institution

Terms of Use:

Smithsonian Terms of Use

For print or commercial use please see permissions information.

ID#:

Source:

Copyright:

Rights Usage:

Terms of Use:

Thank you. You have successfully signed up for our newsletter.

Error message

Sorry, there was a problem. Please ensure your details are valid and try again.