DescriptionAEC-62-6414 The tiny SNAP Atomic Generator is fastened to the base of TRANSIT satellite for vibration tests at Johns Hopkins’ Applied Physics Laboratory, Howard County, Maryland. Developed and built for the Atomic Energy Commission by the Martin Company, this device is the first atomic power supply to he used in space. Fuelled with plutonium 238, the device is designed to provide continuous electrical energy to satellite transmitters for many years. SNAP is the AEC’s program for the development of compact, lightweight, long-lived atomic electric devices for space vehicles and other uses. In the orbiting generator, the spontaneous decay of a tiny amount of plutonium 238 generates heat. Thermocouples convert this heat directly into electrical energy. The generator was placed in the vehicle to provide power to instrumentation and to two of the four transmitters in the satellite. Credit The Martin Company
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