The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory are working together to create a solar-independent power source for use in missions to the Moon. However, it is not yet known how this alternative power system will be transported and placed on the Moon.
The scientists involved in the project think that this reactor system, which will convert nuclear power into usable electrical energy, can be used in all kinds of space exploration as it is developed.
The system will provide energy for 10 years
The power system project includes a uranium-fueled reactor core, a system capable of converting nuclear power, a thermal management system to keep the reactor cool, and a distribution system that provides at least 40 kiloWatts (kW) of continuous energy. This nuclear power plant, which will provide electrical power for 10 years in the lunar environment, must weigh no more than 6000 kilograms and fit inside a 6-meter-long, 4-meter-diameter cylinder in order to be launched from the Earth to the Moon. Space launch proposals for the initial design of the project must be submitted to NASA by February 19.
Project leader Sebastian Corbisiero underlined that the high-power energy system to be established on the Moon is a vital step in space exploration. It has been announced that if it is possible to use the project on the Moon, it will also be used on Mars. Jim Reuter, from NASA’s Space Technology Directorate, explained that alternative power systems are very important for the Moon and Mars and that he expects their use on Earth to be encouraged.
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