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Although solar panels are one of the basic means of generating electricity for space probes and rovers, they are not as beneficial on planets or the Moon as they are in free space.
The reason is the alternation of day and night, and clouds and storms also play a role on Mars. This is one of the reasons why the Curiosity rover, as well as its successor Perseverance, currently on the road, is already equipped with a nuclear power source (radioisotope). In contrast, the Chinese lunar rover Yutu 2, operating on the opposite side of the moon, must always be hibernated for two weeks during the lunar night, because it draws energy from solar panels.
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NASA and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) have reached out to technology developers and companies to propose building a nuclear power plant on the Moon and Mars, in support of long-term space research plans. The goal is to prepare the flight system, landing module and reactor by 2026.
Although it is also possible to obtain electricity on Mars from photovoltaics, the intensity of solar radiation is lower there than on Earth, and during dust storms, which sometimes last for many weeks, visibility decreases to a minimum. And then there is the alternation of day and night. The main source in the form of a nuclear reactor will be a necessity at the Martian base. This also applies to the Moon, where the biggest problem is a frosty night lasting 14 Earth days.
NASA plans to develop a 10 kW fission surface power system for demonstrations on the moon by the end of this decade. The device will be fully manufactured and assembled on Earth, then tested for safety and functionality.
As part of a manned mission to land on the Moon, a reactor will also be “transported” to a manned launcher, and a landing module will transport it to its surface from the orbit of the Moon. After landing, the reactor will be immediately ready for operation.
For more power, multiple nuclear mini-reactors can be connected at the same time. “Four units with an electrical output of 10 kW would provide enough power to establish a base on the Moon or Mars,” said Anthony Calomino, head of NASA’s nuclear technology portfolio. According to him, the nuclear reactor, energy conversion, residual heat dissipation and space flight technology are crucial technologies for the success of this project.
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The space nuclear power plant will function differently from land-based reactors. A small nuclear reactor will generate heat using low-enriched nuclear fuel. The heat will be transferred to the energy conversion system, which will generate electricity. It is not clear from the report whether these will be thermocouples, as they are referred to as “heat engines”. However, the classic technology with a steam turbine would likely be unfeasible in space.
The nuclear system will be designed to deliver 10 kW of power for approximately 10 years. At the end of its useful life, no fuel changes are currently planned. The system will be shut down and the radiation will gradually be reduced to a safe level. Subsequently, the asset would be placed in a remote repository so as not to endanger the people at the base.
The issue of nuclear waste and safety is a topic for opponents of the use of nuclear energy resources in space. Nuclear power opponents often direct their reserves not only to nuclear power plants on the ground, but also to any spacecraft with a nuclear source on board.
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They also criticize NASA’s intention to build nuclear reactors on the Moon and Mars. For example, Steve Melink, author of Fusion Capitalism: A Clean Energy Vision For Conservatives, recommended that NASA use solar photovoltaics, which is already used in space to produce energy, and described it as a practical solution.
However, such a recommendation does not take into account the limitations we have already mentioned. Also, in the deep craters of the Moon, sunlight is absent even during the day, as the Moon has no atmosphere and light has nothing to disperse. Furthermore, nuclear energy has been used many times in space. It has operated on the Moon since the flight of Apollo 12 in November 1969. If we want to build permanent bases on the planets, diversification of energy sources will be necessary.
sourceCNBC
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