This video is uploaded by Los Alamos National Lab
Space agencies have become successful to land on the Moon’s surface several years ago and found that life could not exist there. Now they are trying to land on Mars which hasn’t been possible for them. It is a big challenge for them to be there and if they could be able to touch the surface of Mars, they will face another big challenge that how they will live there as the atmosphere of Mars is not supportive for life.
But NASA is already working on a project which includes the Kilopower reactor, a new power source to provide huge energy for space exploration missions. It will also be used to generate power on the Moon and Mars. There are two different sizes of this nuclear reactor – one kilowatt or 10 kilowatts.
NASA now wants human to be on the moon permanently so that they could set up lunar industries to generate Helium-3 and fuel for rocket. Several other giant firms like SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, Blue Origin, and Moon Express also want to participate in these industries. But no industry can be established without power. That is why NASA is experimenting with Los Alamos’ Kilopower to provide power for decades.
This tiny nuclear reactor is so efficient to generate power for lunar operations. This power reactor can also help robotic spacecraft drive to several other planets like Saturn, Jupiter, the moons, Uranus and Neptune. With the help of Kilopower, the spacecraft can also reach beyond Pluto. This power nuclear reactor can work non-stop for at least 10 years to produce up to 10 kilowatts of electrical energy as per information given by NASA.
Kilopower helps break uranium atoms that discharge heat energy which is later transformed to electricity. Uranium is available in huge amount in this earth. As per NASA information, electricity generated by One pound of uranium is equivalent to the electricity produced by three million pounds of burnable coal. It means, this tiny power house can provide energy for a long time.
“We want a power source that can handle extreme environments,” Lee Mason, NASA’s principal technologist for power and energy storage said in a statement. “Kilopower opens up the full surface of Mars, including the northern latitudes where water may reside. On the moon, Kilopower could be deployed to help search for resources in permanently shadowed craters.”
Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nasa-might-sustain-life-mars-221038987.html
http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a15497211/nasa-los-alamos-mini-nuclear-reactor-power-outposts-moon-mars/