NASA developing fission power for Moon and beyond

by William Atkins

Thursday, 18 September 2008

Page 1 of 2 ! NASA engineers and scientists at the Glenn Research Center are considering several surface power systems for use on the Moon. One of them is the fission surface power system (FSPS), which will generate nuclear fission to provide necessary power for a lunar outpost and other various activities while on the Moon. According to NASA media release “NASA Developing Fission Surface Power Technology,” the FSPS is expected to “generate a steady 40 kilowatts of electric power, enough for about eight houses on Earth.” A nuclear fission power system—consisting of a heat source, power conversion, heat rejection and power conditioning, and distribution—will eventually generate power on the Moon by splitting uranium atoms in a nuclear reactor, which generates heat that is then converted to electrical power. The development of two non-nuclear prototype, which will eventually result in an operational fission surface power system (FSPS), is being directed by NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Principal investigator Lee S. Mason, from the NASA Glenn Research Center, states, “Our goal is to build a technology demonstration unit with all the major components of a fission surface power system and conduct non-nuclear, integrated system testing in a ground-based space simulation facility. Mason adds, "Our long-term goal is to demonstrate technical readiness early in the next decade, when NASA is expected to decide on the type of power system to be used on the lunar surface." NASA states that two non-nuclear design concepts have been approved to simulate how a nuclear reactor unit will operate on the Moon. The simulators will demonstrate to NASA the overall performance in which a nuclear unit will operate without incurring the expenses of a nuclear model. Two prototype systems are being designed for NASA. Please read page two for additional information. << First page <   1 2 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>

 

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