The Kilopower concept (Image: NASA)
Careful...Hillary will be up there trying to sell off the Plutonium......
Let’s ignore the risks of strapping a nuclear reactor to the end of a rocket. I am wondering how you would cool the reactor and even if this problem is 100% solved, you still need backup batteries in case of a SCRAM. Then what happens when your batteries are depleted and your reactor is nonfunctional?
Can’t wait for the household version.
Sort of like a terminator power cell.
See no mention of radiation shielding. Waste heat totally absorbed by the heat engine? Even if not much load on the engine?
Was told that the reactor on our SSN nuke subs is about the size of an older floor standing Xerox machine, but the cooling and other plumbing adds enormously to the system size.
Other than saying “yeah, we did this” what purpose or benefit is there in placing a manned station on Mars?
In terms of Space, Weight and Power (SWaP) tradeoffs, you can’t beat nuclear power in space. I have heard that these 10 MW space reactors are only the size of two five gallon paint buckets, and that the ten year operational life expectancy is quite conservative.
These power supplies are a critical enabler for extended stays - on Mars, the Moon or even long duration space stations. Solar panels will work on Mars (perhaps as far out as Jupiter), but they are less efficient further from the sun, and less reliable with weather. Life support depends on electrical power - Primary, Secondary and Tertiary power supplies should be pre-positioned and tested good, before any humans are sent.
I want one. 2 avg houses for 10 years would like take me and the Mrs. to the end of our lives.