Aug 13, 2019 05:55 AM
(This post was last modified: Aug 13, 2019 05:57 AM by C C.)
https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/m...er-source/
EXCERPT: An experimental miniature nuclear reactor known as Kilopower, meant to power manned outposts beyond Earth, could be ready for an in-flight test as early as 2022, says a project lead project at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. In a recent NASA Future In-Space Operations (FISO) Working Group weekly teleconference, Kilopower lead Patrick McClure spoke for himself and not the government when he said, "I think we could do this in three years and be ready for flight."
[...] NASA predicts that 4 Kilopower units could be the energy source for a manned outpost continuously for at least 10 years. [...] The prototype, known as KRUSTY (yes, it's really a Simpsons reference), held within it a solid, cast uranium-235 reactor core and was around the size of a roll of paper towels. "Passive sodium heat pipes transfer reactor heat to high-efficiency Stirling engines, which convert the heat to electricity," NASA explained at the time. (MORE - details)
RELATED: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_modular_reactor
EXCERPT: An experimental miniature nuclear reactor known as Kilopower, meant to power manned outposts beyond Earth, could be ready for an in-flight test as early as 2022, says a project lead project at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. In a recent NASA Future In-Space Operations (FISO) Working Group weekly teleconference, Kilopower lead Patrick McClure spoke for himself and not the government when he said, "I think we could do this in three years and be ready for flight."
[...] NASA predicts that 4 Kilopower units could be the energy source for a manned outpost continuously for at least 10 years. [...] The prototype, known as KRUSTY (yes, it's really a Simpsons reference), held within it a solid, cast uranium-235 reactor core and was around the size of a roll of paper towels. "Passive sodium heat pipes transfer reactor heat to high-efficiency Stirling engines, which convert the heat to electricity," NASA explained at the time. (MORE - details)
RELATED: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_modular_reactor