'Trash Can' Nuclear Reactors Could Power Human Outpost On Moon Or Mars

'Trash Can' Nuclear Reactors Could Power Human Outpost On Moon Or Mars

www.sciencedaily.com

ScienceDaily (Oct. 4, 2009) — NASA has made a series of critical strides toward the development of new nuclear reactors the size of a trash can that could power a human outpost on the moon or Mars.

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Related News Links:
www.nasa.gov

A small, safe, 40KW reactor? Gee, you might think communities around the country could use such technology to offset their"carbon" emissions, no?



These devices are safe enough to load up on a huge explosive rocket, fire it out into space, thump down wherever, and survive.

I wonder why we never see these developments applied to the people that pay for them?

Or does this technology ALREADY belong to someone else?

"A small fission-based nuclear reactor coupled with a Stirling engine could provide up to 40 kilowatts of usable energy, enough to support a moon base or Mars outpost," said Houts. That's about the same amount of power needed to supply eight houses on Earth, NASA officials have said. The test series was conducted as part of the fission-based surface power project, within NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program, which is tasked with developing advanced technologies that will enable NASA to conduct future human exploration missions, while reducing mission risk and cost.

No mention of a 'corporate' owner, so tell me....

Am I wrong to say that the one governmental hand seems to have no idea what the other is doing?

Good read though! Enjoy

MM.

www.sciencedaily.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 4-10-2009 by Maxmars]

awesome. i want to live on the moon. or at the very least have a nuclear reactor of my very own!

Originally posted by Maxmars
I wonder why we never see these developments applied to the people that pay for them?

Or does this technology ALREADY belong to someone else?

Well by 2013 Hyperion Power Generation plans to bring us compact nuclear power reactor units that are “about the size of a typical backyard hot tub”.

They are designed to be brought into sites and installed underground and basically forgotten about for 7-10 years of power - they completely look after them selves, when the time comes you send that one back to the factory to get reconditioned and they send you back a new one!

These small portable nuclear reactors would be a huge stride for our space program. But why are they only applying the smaller nuclear technology to only moon or mars bases? Why not focus on increasing our space travel speed with a nuclear propelled space craft?

It seems to me these would greatly benefit the large bulidings of citys or even for planes. Though, I'm sure they are much more expensive than regular jet fuel.

I can also see why it could be a terrible idea to have so many small nuclear reactors in a city or flying around above us.

Good find! I love this site, not only does everyone provide links, but these links are to sites I've never visited before and are a find all in their own.

reply to post by tooo many pills


Ah well you see - A nuclear reactor can only be used as an engine if it heats up some medium to propel (a nuke powered ship heats water to drive turbines - the actual engines are usually electric).

Now there have been engines that would heat air - they are actually simpler than a jet engine, they wanted to (and in some cases such as the Russians with a Tu-65 Bear actually tested) have aircraft and missiles that would fly indefinitely on nuke engines - but they needed to heat the air to do it.

In space that would not work - you still need something to provide thrust - there are ideas for Impulse engines (yes just like star trek) but they are more along the lines of nuke explosions.

Ah, thank you for explaining. It is interesting that air is ulitmately our main source of transportation, considering cars can not run without air either.

I will be waiting at the edge of my seat for NASA's moon base or the next generation of space travel. I know about Orion rocket, but it just hasn't excited me as much as the possibility of a base on the Moon or Mars or much much faster space travel.

I hope we get there!

Nothing new at all!

The russians have been at it for years, though they create "Nuclear Batteries"

Very small, portable and used to keep nuclear Lighthouses and such like going.

There is real concern as many are isolated, unsecured and have been pillaged so the environmental and security threat is still a very real and present danger.

Hellmut did a thread years ago on the problems these devices are causing now.

700 Nuclear Batteries Targeted by Terrorists

Yep over 700 of them unsecure, leaking, and all over the northeren hemisphere.

Read the thread very informative, Nasa spin eh... anyhow to see what one is like and get a feel go here to : Nuclear Battery & Optoelectric nuclear battery

Official reports on some of those devices and the clean ups and attempts to make them safe and secure here:

Stolen Lighthouse Radiothermal Device Recovery


Anyhow well before NASA a private company in Los Alomos has been working on exactly the same thing, for use on earth called a Hyperion Nuclear Battery which is closer than the most common stock soviet designs to a full reactor it boils the water and has turbines and is the size of a "Bathtub" or "trashcan"

The Los Alamos based company Hyperion Power Generation is developing a new power source called the Hyperion Hydride Reactor, a sealed fission reactor that can supply power to a small community. Although the portable nuclear reactor is the size of a hot tub, when it's hooked up to a steam turbine, the reactor can generate enough electricity to power a community of 25,000 homes for at least five years. As it is self-contained and involves no moving parts, the reactor doesn’t require a human operator and is considered "extremely safe". Some experts, however, are still questioning the logic of using even this relatively safe kind of nuclear energy. These experts are worried about the pollution created in the process of extracting the radioactive ore, and by the storage problems of the spent nuclear fuel.

Hyperion nuclear reactors The future of Things

Kind Regards,

Elf

Edit for links.

[edit on 5-10-2009 by MischeviousElf]

I want one of them for my yacht.

With one in a 150 foot yacht you could go around the world a couple times without refueling.

Ok you might have to stop for beer.

[edit on 5-10-2009 by ANNED]

reply to post by MischeviousElf


That is a nasty prospect. I envisioned communities pooling for the cost and having the energy offset pay for the added security. But I guess there is no perfect solution this way either.

That leaves sun, wind, and water.

They've pretty much got the water monopolized, and they can blot out the sun whenever they want..... wind it is - let's see them tax the wind!

reply to post by Maxmars


scarey stuff eh maxmars all those leaking unsecure nuclear batteries, and should make us cautious.

If only the populase could tax the "wind" and Bu****** coming from washington, london etc eh, problem solved re global meltdown, pollution etc..

Captain its scotty here, she cant take it way too many buffalo pass this way she is going to blow!

Scotty its kirk Lewinski has left the building so she cant

Captain its spock, it's illogical not to use all that hot air and energy

well we can just dream and laugh eh, the truth is so bad lol, Max i wouldnt put it past tax on Air one day especially as it gets more polluted... who knows when but one day.

Elf