Mars power

[Mugwump]

https://www.facebook.com/LosAlamosNationalLab/videos/1416953078430528/

How can we provide power to NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronauts on Mars and other planets?

New reactor tech from Los Alamos National Laboratory, National Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada National Security Site, and NASA Technology could be the answer.

Listen to nasa.gov/live at noon ET to learn more! 👩‍🚀👨‍🚀🚀 #Kilopower




N ASA is testing a compact nuclear power system that could enable future human missions to the moon, Mars, or even deep space. The space agency is working with the US Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration to test a nuclear fission system to provide power to habitats for running life support equipment or for systems that could convert in-situ resources to water or fuel. The system, called the Kilopower project, could also be used to power robotic deep space missions that can't rely on solar power.   

Officials from the project discussed the system during a briefing from the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas. They said the test, which began in November 2017 and will continue through March, is showing the Kilopower project could provide safe, efficient, and plentiful energy needed for future space missions.

"With this technology, I really think we are at a breakpoint in terms of having a capability for allowing crews to survive and flourish on planetary surfaces," said Lee Mason, the principal technologist for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate. "Its innovation will have impacts on future missions and we have some serious goals that we hope to achieve as part of this project and follow on projects."