With the goal of a manned mission to Mars on its mind, NASA says it's working on a compact-sized nuclear reactor that would aid those on long-term stays on other planets.
The U.S. space agency held a news conference Jan. 18 where it said it had already started initial tests with the goal performing a full capacity test run this March. The Kilopower project is led by the Glenn Research Center and has been conducting its tests in at a Nevada-based research center since November 2017.
This mini nuclear reactor will help astronauts on other planets' surface with electricity, lighting, water and oxygen and even for "producing fuel for the long journey home." The Kilopower hopes to provide 10 kilowatts of electrical power "continuously for at least 10 years."
Thanks for tuning in to today's telecon about our #Kilopower project that could potentially empower future crewed surface missions to the Moon, Mars & beyond! If we didn't get to your #askNASA question during the call, we'll follow up soon! For more info: https://t.co/jQZDGPRGcwpic.twitter.com/6mJnKeZCyg
-- NASA Technology (@NASA_Technology) January 18, 2018
--
NASA tested the Kilopower's reactor core back in November of last year by connecting the power system to it and performed "end-to-end checkouts." In March, the space agency hopes to conduct a full-power test on the core for around 28 continuous hours.
"The Kilopower project is a near-term technology effort to develop preliminary concepts and technologies that could be used for an affordable fission nuclear power system to enable long-duration stays on planetary surfaces," NASA reports.
"The principal goal of the project is to sufficiently develop and test nuclear power system technologies by 2018 so fission power can be a viable option for NASA decision makers to consider when making their informed selection of exploration surface systems."
NASA explains that fission power is the one used due to the harsh weather on the Mars' surface. The U.S. space agency claims that Kilopower is light, reliable and efficient even in the challenging environment of another planet.
"We want a power source that can handle extreme environments," Lee Mason, NASA's principal technologist for power and energy storage, said in a news release.
"Kilopower opens up the full surface of Mars, including the northern latitudes where water may reside. On the Moon, Kilopower could be deployed to help search for resources in permanently shadowed craters."
NASA's goals for the next few years revolve around sending the space agency back to the Moon with the intention to move on to Mars with a manned mission. The U.S. has not put a person on the Moon since 1972.
President Donald Trump signed the White House Space Policy Directive to "make America a leader in space exploration again" by sending astronauts to the Moon, then to Mars and then into "the broader solar system."
NASA Exploration Mission-1, set for a hopeful unmanned launch in 2019, is the first in a "broad series" of exploration missions aimed at taking humans deeper into space, and "eventually to Mars."
Exploration Mission-1 aims to fly thousands of miles beyond the moon in a three-week journey remains in place. The mission will feature "the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown."
As it stands, Exploration Mission-2 will aim to send astronauts beyond the moon. The second mission, with astronauts aboard, is now scheduled for 2023 as it remains to be seen if the possible delays will cause any launch date changes.
Read Again NASA working on compact nuclear reactor to aid long-term stays on other planets : http://ift.tt/2DxmlllBagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "NASA working on compact nuclear reactor to aid long-term stays on other planets"
Post a Comment