NASA has just completed a 1 kilowatt-class mini-reactor, which will begin testing this month and test it successfully in space.
The mini-reactor is reported to be 'kilowatts of power', which is named after its power, using low-concentration solid uranium 235 as fuel (7%), sodium metal heat transfer tubes for heat exchangers, and efficient use of history Due to the small size and power, there is not much excess product after the nuclear reaction, only 0.12% excess product will occur during 15 years of operation, and the radiation pollution is also negligible .
NASA is testing with the U.S. Department of Energy and testing will continue until early 2018 when 'kilowatts' will undergo full 28-hour full-power testing. "Chief Investigator Mark Gibson said:' We're about to go to the Nevada Test Center The feasibility and safety of this technology will be demonstrated. Since the reactor will be used by the spacecraft, it will be tested in a vacuum chamber to operate the equipment under simulated space conditions.
"This is the first nuclear reactor that we are studying for space, and the space reactor has to provide stable, high-energy electricity," said another researcher at 'kilowatts', said Dr. Ross MacArthur, principal of Los Alamos National Laboratory. , Enabling the spacecraft to operate without solar energy and to adapt to extreme conditions such as the surface of Mars.
Lee Mason, NASA's Space Technology Committee's Energy Development Group, said: 'Our development of' kilowatts' is also a better choice for future space missions than nuclear batteries.
Nuclear batteries can only supply a few hundred watts of electricity, but to Mars exploration requires more electricity and I also hope that 'kilowatts of power' is only the first step in the future can evolve into hundreds of kilowatts, or even millions of kilowatts of electricity System for permanent space bases. '
