NASA has announced plans to install a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030

NASA has announced plans to install a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030

NASA has announced plans to install a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030

Humans last walked on the moon in 1972 as part of the Apollo 17 mission. Now NASA not only wants to return home, but also wants to set up a store. 24.06.2022, Sputnik International

2022-06-24T21: 29 + 0000

2022-06-24T21: 29 + 0000

2022-06-24T21: 29 + 0000

Artemis

nasa

Moon

technology

Science

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NASA has signed three design contracts for a nuclear reactor that can run on the moon to return to the moon and establish a lasting human existence. The Department of Energy is working with NASA on this project, as well as colonization. On the moon, but also on Mars. The plan is to install a nuclear reactor on the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis project by 2030. Each design contract is worth $ 5 million and was awarded to Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse, and XI, a collaboration between X-Energy and Intuitive Machines. The potential design has not been revealed by the company, but there are some requirements that NASA must meet in order to select the first off-world nuclear power plant. Reactors must be powerful and capable of production. With at least 40 kW of power, it is durable enough to operate on the moon for 10 years. However, it also needs to be small. The power plant will be built on Earth and will need to be rocket-carried to the Moon, so it will weigh less than 13,200 pounds and should fit in a 12-foot-wide cylinder. If successful, a similar system can be used to enable long-distance transportation. Long-distance space travel and potential travel to Mars. NASA says a similar system could be used to power the Red Planet settlements in the future. The lunar base itself also plays a supporting role in bringing humans to Mars for the first time. Rover on Mars and other scientific instruments on the Moon and Mars are usually powered by solar panels. However, moonlit nights can last for weeks, and even during the day, craters cast shadows that make it difficult for solar panels to generate electricity. Craters are proposed as an ideal location for the moonbase because they are naturally protected from cosmic rays and other environmental hazards. NASA originally planned to bring humanity back to the moon in 2024, but at the earliest it was back in 2025. If this project is successful, not only will humans exist on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, but there will also be women walking on the moon for the first time in history. NASA plans to launch Artemis I later this summer. , A rocket filled with mannequins (scientific mannequins aimed at simulating the human body rather than displaying clothing), Artemis II, which includes human astronauts next year but only passes through the moon, And finally, the Moon, followed by Artemis III, which actually lands, includes the first female astronaut to walk on the surface of the moon. NASA also plans to build a space station that orbits the moon. This will allow astronauts on the moon to communicate with the Earth. NASA is not the only universe. An agency working on returning to the moon. The China National Space Administration hopes to have China’s Tyco Note on the moon by 2030. If Artemis avoids further delays, they may find a fission station when they get there.

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