NASA is advancing an existing technology to enable future space exploration of the solar system.
With plans to expand
human missions to Mars and science
exploration of the outer planets, the
need for reliable power becomes
essential. Space qualified nuclear
reactors are one technology that can
provide for safe and reliable power for
many of these missions.
Nuclear power and space is not new. These clips from the 1960s provide a window into the past.
A U.S. program was put into place that
developed and flew the world's first space reactor.
Before the reactor is turned on, that is prior to fission
starting the reactor fuel is very safe
and only mildly radioactive.
A joint venture between NASA and the
Department of Energy is underway to
develop a new space reactor that meets a
range of exploration missions.
The reactor called kilopower can deliver
a range of 1 to 10 kilowatts of
electricity, that is enough to power
anything from one toaster to an entire household.
Kilopower will be tested in
the Nevada desert at the Nevada National
Security site. The test has a fissioning
reactor deliver heat to stirling converters.
Each converter produces about 100 watts. The goal of the test is to
confirm the system's predicted
performance. The reactor core is a
cylinder of enriched uranium that is six
inches in diameter. A beryllium oxide
reflector will surround the uranium core.
A single rod of boron carbide is used to
turn on the reactor. The reactor uses
well-established nuclear physics to self
regulate the fission reactions, and this
feature eliminates the need for a
complicated control system. The reactor
uses nuclear fission to produce heat
which is delivered by heat pipes to
power generators known as stirling
converters. A radiator is used to keep
the stirling converters cool.
A great deal remains to be done, but with the successful completion of the nuclear
test in Nevada, NASA is coming ever
closer to the reality of a space
qualified nuclear reactor. Over the
coming years the reliability and safety
of kilopower will be tested to assure
that when the new era of space
exploration begins, all systems will be a
go.
