b'PEOPLE OF INL MARS ROVER 2020WHEN LYNN WENDT LOOKSover thestacks of hay bales, I just see great opportunitiesPerseverance pays offrolling agricultural landscape that laps againstfor clean energy. Twenty INL employees squinted into a sunnyThe power system is designed to convert the rocky edges of Idaho, she sees unlimitedWendt started her career as an INL intern in 2002Florida sky a little before 8 a.m. on July 30 tothe heat from the decay of plutonium into potential because she works on the front lines ofand was hired as a staff scientist in 2007 to focuswatch the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover begin itselectricity. Its a perfect system for deep-space INLs clean energy division. on bioenergy. She is currently a Ph.D. candidatenearly seven-month journey to the Red Planet. conditions, which require long-lasting, self-Everyone thinks nuclear energy when theyat the University of Idaho. In 2020, the Profilessufficient power.think of Idaho National Laboratory, said Wendt,in Diversity Journal honored her with a WomenThese employees, and another 40 or so a Minnesota native who spent her childhoodWorth Watching award, a prestigious nationalcolleagues back in the Idaho desert, were The INL team has delivered similar power summers in McCall, Idaho, before puttingnod to professional women.part of INLs space power systems team, systems for the Pluto New Horizons spacecraft which assembles, tests and delivers the powerthat launched in 2006 and the Mars Curiosity down roots in eastern Idaho. But there is anWendt has spent most of her career at INL usingsystems for NASA deep-space missions like theRover, launched in 2011. Both are still providing interesting division of clean energy, and I thinkmicrobiology to understand how to extend thePerseverance rover. The team spent five yearsvaluable data to scientists back on Earth. Dragonfly. (Image courtesy of Johnsits compelling that INL is shifting into unlockingstorage life of biomass such as those hay balespreparing, training and performing hands- Hopkins APL)the potential of waste streams. Biomass isin the fields and even microalgae grown onon work in Idaho to assemble and test theAnd theres more work on the horizon.everywhere, and when I drive around and seesalt water or wastewater. Understanding howPerseverance power system. INL also deliveredThe next INL-assembled and -tested system using this storage time helps lower costs for thethe power system to Floridas Kennedy Spacewill power the Dragonfly rotorcraft lander bioenergy industry will ultimately curb wasteCenter and remained on-site throughmission that will explore Saturns Name: Lynn Wendt from the landfills, produce cleaner fuels and givelaunch to provide support and ensurelargest moon, Titan. That missionIdaho farmers an additional economic incentive.the system was performing is scheduled to launch in 2027. Position: Research scientistas expected. Years at INL: 19 Knowing that INL is a leader in bioenergy,Education: University of Minnesota, I think thats just awesome. We have the Idaho State University and University potential to make this industry a reality. of IdahoDragonfly mission concept of entry, descent, landing, surface operations and flight at Titan. (Image courtesy of Johns Hopkins APL)HOW DOES INL CONTINUEto make nuclear power safer for all? It starts with using the safest fuels possible, and INL graduate fellow Kevin Terrills work is focused on just that. Terrill, who grew up in Idaho Falls and interned at INL during his undergraduate and masters studies, joined the INL Graduate Fellowship Program this year. This program allows students to work at the lab while pursuing an advanced degree. Terrill works in nuclear fuel development at INL while pursuing a Ph.D. from the University of Idaho. His research focuses on predicting temperature correlations in accident scenarios. Were trying to make better nuclear fuels and make facilities safer. Workers examine a video screen showingName: Kevin Terrill the interior of the radioisotope thermoelectric Position: INL graduate fellowgenerator that is powering the Mars Perseverance rover. Years at INL: 3Education: BYU-Idaho and University NASAs Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and its radioisotope thermoelectric generator.of Idaho (Photo courtesy of NASA)6|Idaho National Laboratory|your.inl.gov your.inl.gov|Idaho National Laboratory|7'