Researchers from NASA, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Department of Energy announced they have successfully tested a small nuclear reactor. These reactors range in power from 1 kilowatt to 10 kW. NASA states that to run a habitat on Mars and create fuel, about 40 kW would be needed.
Absolutely incredible stuff. Aside from just powering colonies on distant planets, I'm also thinking of the uses on Earth where a source of energy like this could really change lives. Think about several of these being deployed after a natural disaster!
When we imagine sending humans to live on Mars, the moon or other planetary bodies in the not-so-distant future, a primary question is: How will we power their colony? Not only will they need energy to create a habitable environment, they'll also need it to get back to Earth. For distant planetary bodies, like Mars, it's inefficient to bring fuel for the trip home; it's just too heavy. That means the astronauts need a power source to make liquid oxygen and propellant.
Absolutely incredible stuff. Aside from just powering colonies on distant planets, I'm also thinking of the uses on Earth where a source of energy like this could really change lives. Think about several of these being deployed after a natural disaster!
When we imagine sending humans to live on Mars, the moon or other planetary bodies in the not-so-distant future, a primary question is: How will we power their colony? Not only will they need energy to create a habitable environment, they'll also need it to get back to Earth. For distant planetary bodies, like Mars, it's inefficient to bring fuel for the trip home; it's just too heavy. That means the astronauts need a power source to make liquid oxygen and propellant.