Posted on 11/16/2020 7:38:00 PM PST by BenLurkin
My guess is Tesla technology will transmit the power to Earth. Otherwise, let the electricity generated do stuff on the moon.
The electricity generated on the moon would be used to eject the nuclear waste out to the sun, using railguns. Because the moon’s gravitational pull is only is only about 16.6 percent of Earth’s gravity, with an escape velocity of only 5324 miles per hour. The U.S. Navy already has a railgun of that capability.
Some nukes use liquid Sodium as coolant.
Not actually as coolant - rather, the liquid Sodium represents the working fluid in the system (just as the water in an ordinary steam engine is not actually the "coolant").
Regards,
Already been a couple of fission power plants in orbit. Granted, not high efficiency, but multi-kilowatt electrical level.
Not only in orbit (see the SNAP project). Radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) are also the preferred technology for voyages to the Outer Planets (where photovoltaic technology would be too inefficient).
But radionuclide decay is not actually "fission" in the sense that the isotope need not be "fissile" and no "chain reactions" take place.
Regards,
If there is anyplace that solar power is viable it’s the moon.
That’s the first thing that came to mind when I saw the title.
I would think that if any place was suitable for solar it would be the moon.
The U.S.Navy already have Nuke Reactors that fit in Our Submarines. Why not use them, aside from the Classified part.
What are they using to keep the core cool?
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Lets see, in the right place on the moon the temperature might be a constant MINUS 280 to 396 F. Cool enough for you?
I’d bet liquid metal cooled.
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On the moon, you’d have to heat the metal to make it flow - surface temp Minus 280-396 F
say hello to the Harris mandated and US funded Chinese Space Force built in China using American “volunteers”.
It is 260 F at the equator on the sunny side, but below -240 F on the cold side. So, a 500 F temperature swing monthly.
The U.S. Navy already has a **prototype** railgun of that capability, now de-funded as the materials science can’t meet expectations.
But the moon is a big place just store it, so why go to the expense?
You can count on Biden killing the return to the moon and redirecting NASA at some underfunded, unachievable Mars program.
Unfortunately, we will be back to moslem outreach, and the NASA budget will be used for reparations...
and minus 396 F in the shade at the poles
The anti-nuclear nuts are going to point to Space:1999 as being a documentary, the same way they did with The China Syndrome
thought it was only two seasons.
Lets see, in the right place on the moon the temperature might be a constant MINUS 280 to 396 F. Cool enough for you?
No, because, counter-intuitively, there is no atmosphere (=matter) available for convective cooling. You have to rely on radiative cooling, which is much less effective.
Bigger radiator is all
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