This article is from WeChat official account:Cai Jian-Tencent News (ID: tmoneyplus)< span class="text-remarks">, the original title “Why does NASA build nuclear power plants on the moon and Mars?” Is it safe to hear how experts say “, Author: Mina Publisher: Tencent News Xiaoman X studio Choi seen from the chart title:” Mars Rescue “
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Department of Energy will solicit relevant industry proposals to build nuclear power plants on the moon and Mars. Supporting the country’s long-term space exploration program. The content of the proposal is to establish a nuclear fission power system. The goal is to have the flight system, the lunar lander and the nuclear reactor in place by 2026.
Antoine Carlomino, head of the nuclear technology portfolio of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Agency, pointed out that the plan is to develop a 10-kilowatt nuclear fission power system before the end of the 1920s and carry it out on the moon. Demo. The nuclear fission power system will be fully manufactured and assembled on Earth, and then NASA will conduct safety tests on the system to ensure that it can operate correctly.
Conceptual rendering of nuclear fission power system on the moon
After the safety test is completed, the nuclear fission power system will be combined with the lunar lander, and then sent by the launch vehicle to orbit the moon. The lander will send the system to the lunar surface. Once it reaches the lunar surface, the system can be operated immediately without additional assembly. The demonstration is expected to last for one year and may eventually supportHold on the moon, Mars, and even more distant space for longer missions.
“Once the technology is certified through a demonstration, future systems can be scaled up, or multiple devices can be used together for long-term missions to the moon and Mars,” Carlomino said. “Four crews, each The unit provides 10 kilowatts of electricity, which is enough to meet the needs of outposts on the moon or Mars. The nuclear fission power system generates large amounts of electricity on the planet’s surface, which facilitates large-scale exploration, establishment of human outposts, and on-site utilization of resources. It is also possible for commercialization. Provided an opportunity.”
Currently, NASA has cooperated with the nuclear research organization Idaho National Laboratory (INL). But is this NASA plan realistic? Is it possible to deliver in just six years?
The answer given by Steve Johnson, Director of INL’s Space Nuclear Energy and Isotope Technology Department, is, “Yes! The plan is completely feasible.”
He explained, “We can use our research and development achievements in advanced fuels and materials over the years, as well as recent breakthroughs in space commercial transportation, to reduce the risk of delays in delivery, in order to achieve the target for 2026.We and NASA are really working hard to bring innovations in the commercial nuclear industry to the public. The aerospace industry can make full use of existing technologies.“
How the nuclear power plant will operate
Caromino claimed that the key technologies to ensure the success of this plan are nuclear reactors, power conversion, heat dissipation and space flight technology. “The low-enrichment nuclear fuel will power the core,” he said. “Small nuclear reactors will generate heat and then transfer the heat to the power conversion system. The power conversion system will consist of engines, which will be based on the heat of the nuclear reactor instead of being combustible. Fuel operation converts heat into electricity, and after adjustment, it is distributed to user equipment on the surface of the moon and Mars. Heat dissipation technology is also important for maintaining the temperature of the equipment during normal operation.”
Johnson pointed out that in addition to the research and development of the past few decades, the existing physical infrastructure dedicated to the creation of nuclear reactors, power conversion, heat dissipation, and space flight technology will make the target for 2026 possible.
He said: “We can use the existing facilities and technical expertise of the national laboratory to support this important proposal in order to achieve the ultimate goal. At INL, we support the next few monthsclass=”text-big-title”>Is it safe to build a nuclear reactor on the moon
To ordinary people, the idea of building a nuclear reactor on the moon may sound unusual, and even some of them may find it extremely dangerous. However, some professionals don’t think so. Andrew Crabtree, founder of the employment agency Get Into Nuclear, is one of them.
Crabtree pointed out that although there are still many factors to consider in this project, there is no need to consider whether it is safe to use nuclear energy in space. He said: “Prior to this, nuclear energy has been used countless times in space. Since Apollo 12 successfully withstood a huge temperature difference in November 1969, atomic energy has been running on the moon. Apollo 12 It marks the first time that humans have used a nuclear power system on the moon.”
In Crabtree’s view, people who are worried that space will be contaminated by nuclear energy are simply unfounded. “Before you say things like’we shouldn’t let nuclear waste contaminate space’, you should be clear that almost every space mission you’ve heard of has used radioisotope thermoelectric generators.”
The artist’s conception of a human base on Mars; the picture shows a cutaway of the inner gardening area
Schel Horowitz, who provides profit and marketing consulting services for environmental companies, does not consider the issue of safety, but whether it is necessary to do so.
Horowitz believes that building a nuclear power plant on the moon will be futile and completely unnecessary. He said: “With the rapid decline in the cost of clean energy provided by solar, wind and small hydropower systems, and our energy saving methods are becoming more and more effective, there is no reason to create in space that is time-consuming and expensive. The nuclear power plant that makes many people feel uneasy. Without it, we can also meet energy needs.”
Caromino responded that this project is likely to use many of the renewable energy sources mentioned by Horowitz, and that other tasks in the future may also require these energy sources, but use these resources in space. Faced with unique challenges,These challenges may make the use of renewable energy impractical.
He explained, “These tasks may require a variety of solar power, batteries, radioisotopes, and nuclear fission power systems to meet a series of demanding requirements. Where solar, wind, and hydropower are not easily available, nuclear power It is necessary. For example, on Mars, the energy of the sun changes greatly with the seasons, and dust storms may last for several months. On the moon, cold nights last for 14 days, and the light near the poles changes It’s very large, and there is no sunlight in the crater that has been in the shadow for a long time. In these sharply challenging environments, the use of solar energy is not easy, and the fuel supply is also very limited. In contrast, nuclear power provides A convenient, reliable and efficient solution.”
Blue Origin, a commercial space company under Bezos
Steve Melink, author of “Convergent Capitalism: A Conservative Vision for Clean Energy” and founder and CEO of Merlink Corporation, which promotes renewable energy for the commercial construction industry, points out that there are other factors Need to consider.
“When problems arise, especially urgent problems, how will we solve them?” He asked, “Nuclear energy is so complex that we have to predict what parts and technical personnel will be needed for every foreseeable problem And what supplies to solve. In the next few decades, we will not be able to do this.”
His suggestion is that NASA should use solar photovoltaic power generation. This technology has been used for space power generation and is a more practical solution.
Melink said: “In the past 10 years, the cost of solar photovoltaic has been greatly reduced. At present, public facilities, enterprises and schools in many places on the earth are installing solar photovoltaic. This technology will not cause meltdown and radioactivity. Catastrophic risks such as pollution and complete power outages. Over time, solar energy is the ultimate solution to ensure redundancy and scalability.”
Carlomino claims that ensuring the safety of the project is always NASA’s top priority. This itemStill need to pass the approval process of the National Environmental Policy Act, which includes an assessment of the environmental impact of the project. In addition, when designing the power system, designers will ensure that nuclear fuel will not be activated before reaching the lunar surface. Carlomino said: “Unlike ground-based nuclear reactors, nuclear reactors in space will not remove or replace nuclear fuel.”
Carlomino said that at the end of the 10-year mission, NASA has a plan for the safe decommissioning of related facilities. He said: “At the end of the mission, the system will shut down and the radiation level will gradually decrease to a safe level acceptable and handled by humans. The used system may be transferred to a remote storage location where it will not be harmful to the astronauts. Or the environment poses any threat.”
The chief medical innovation officer of Liberty BioSecurity, Dr. Jose Morey, pointed out that even if an accident occurs at a nuclear power facility on the moon, it will not pose a threat to the earth. The reason is that the earth is protected by the atmosphere, blocking the deadly radiation generated in outer space. He said: “There are many forms of radiation, and cosmic rays are the most harmful. The universe is full of this kind of radiation, and other forms of radiation can be seen everywhere.”
The doctor added that some companies have shown interest in participating in NASA’s nuclear fission power system project, including Blue Origin, a commercial space company owned by Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man, and BWX Technologies in the United States. Currently, the two companies have not commented on this matter.
Morey said, “This project requires the participation of general energy engineering companies, traditional aerospace companies, and emerging aerospace companies.”
Although the nuclear fission power system project is still in its infancy, it is enough to show that the nuclear energy industry is still exploring new positions. Morey believes that although the nuclear energy issue involves complicated politics, the advantages of nuclear energy make it an ideal driving force for US space efforts.
“Nuclear energy has always been a very clean and extremely effective energy source,” he said. “From a practical point of view, this energy will be the key to space exploration. More importantly, it has become a kind of Multi-planetary species is essential. Before the discovery of the next high-efficiency clean energy, the new dawn of space exploration will witness the recovery of the nuclear industry.”
This article is from WeChat official account:Cai Jian-Tencent News (ID: tmoneyplus), author: Mina Publisher: Tencent news to see Xiao-Man Choi studio X