NASA's Ambitious Project on the Moon Is Closer to Becoming a Reality – Teach Me About Science

One of the dreams of humans is to learn about other planets and colonize them, to be a part of it, to expand what we know, to know beyond the borders before our eyes, to know if we are unique. Or not. We explore not to find something, but to be discovered.

And, part of this interest and part of the know-how, NASA has set itself a very clear goal: to reach and land on the Moon. It's not the only aerospace company with that in mind, but it wants to be the first to do it successfully; For this purpose, NASA has concrete plans to make this space mission a success.

Reaching for the moon is a goal closer to reality

With the help of technology, which increasingly offers new and better alternatives, it has launched a new project to explore more sustainable energy sources than currently exist for planned permanent missions to the Moon. The project is named after cleavage surface force (FSP), which seeks to provide a durable and reliable power source that will enable missions to take the first humans to the Moon so that they can be inhabited indefinitely by fission reactors.

Accordingly Today the universe, For this mission to succeed, it is necessary to have a source that provides more energy, and traditional fossil fuels are not the best option, the solar cells on the surface will not work for two weeks, so the best option is to use a nuclear power plant facility. It is the cleanest and most reliable way in this type of work, not forgetting that it is more efficient than solar type sources.

“Abundant energy will be key to future space exploration” A said Press release Jim Reuter, NASA Associate Administrator of the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). “I believe surface fission energy systems will greatly benefit our plans for power structures for the Moon and Mars, and even drive innovation for applications on Earth.”

Three firms specializing in nuclear power technology have been awarded contracts to submit preliminary designs for the required reactor and associated systems: Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse, and IX. The requirements are demanding: the reactor must have a useful life of at least 10 years, be able to operate without human maintenance throughout this time, weigh less than six tons and be capable of producing 40 kilowatts of electricity. . All these requirements are necessary to keep a small colony of astronauts alive.

However, the reactor designs will not only help the Artemis mission on the Moon, but also lay the foundation for the development of similar systems that could be used on Mars and other long-duration missions. There won't be more news about the second phase of the project until 2025, when it will be known if the FSP continues to work.