Electricity is essential, we can’t imagine how it would be to live without electricity. For now, electricity is only available on earth. Imagine if we could generate electricity in space as well? Will it be able to revolutionize and transform space travel? According to a statement by INL, The Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL), will team up with NASA. They will work together to put “durable, high-power, sun-independent” fission reactor onto the moon. The aim is to complete the mission by or before 2030. Anyone who knows how to put up a uranium-powered nuclear reactor, can work with NASA over the mission. This can be done only at one condition, that it can be carried by NASA to the Moon in a 12-foot-long by 18-foot-wide rocket! INL on November 19 in a statement said, “they are seeking industry partners to design nuclear power systems for lunar applications.” The submission deadline for the same is until February 19,2022. At present, 2 agencies are looking for proposals from external collaborators to start this project. The agency said that the nuclear reactor will transform the moon into an extraterrestrial base for human space exploration. This will also include upcoming manned missions to Mars.
What associate administrator for NASA’S Space Technology (Jim Reuter) says about the project?
Jim Reuter says, “Plentiful energy will be key to future space exploration.” “I expect fission surface power systems to greatly benefit our plans for power architectures for the moon and Mars and even drive innovation for uses here on Earth”, he added.
Guidelines for the proposal
The proposed reactor needs to be a uranium-powered fission reactorIt means, an apparatus that has the ability to split heavy atomic nuclei into lighter nuclei, releasing energy as a byproductThe reactor should not weigh more than 13,200 poundsShould fir in a 12-foot-long by 18-foot-wide rocketReactor must provide 40 Kilowatts of continuous electric powerContinuous power should be for 10 yearsThe reactor should have temperature controls
The project aims to create a sustainable human presence on the moon by 2030. The big project is estimated to cost around $93 billion.
