The Americans thought about building a nuclear power plant directly on the moon to provide energy for the future base

NASA representatives in conjunction with Department of Energy Idaho National Laboratory USA, announced that they are launching the collection and analysis of ideas for the construction of nuclear power plants directly on the surface The moon. At the same time, the new lunar nuclear power plant should become a permanent source of energy for the future permanent station.

They plan to build a nuclear power plant on the moon

So, according to the proposed concept, the nuclear power plant will be built directly on Earth, then it will be disassembled into blocks, delivered to the Moon, and there will be assembled and put into operation.

At the same time, the station should contain a reactor core running on uranium, a complex that converts heat into energy, a thermal control system, and an energy distribution complex.

Moreover, such a nuclear power plant must have a capacity of at least 40 kW. And it seems that, at first glance, there is nothing difficult to assemble such a low-power reactor, but the whole problem is lies in the fact that the nuclear power plant (albeit disassembled) must fit in a cylinder with a diameter of 4 meters and a length 6 meters. The entire structure should weigh only 6 tons and fully function with the lander platform.

Moreover, such a station must be completely autonomous, and its minimum operating life must be 10 years.

So, having collected all these requirements, it turns out that engineers are faced with not such an easy task, but at the same time it is not impossible. Therefore, the project has already outlined a certain framework.

So the collection of proposals will last until February 19. After that, the most promising and economically profitable option will be selected for its full implementation. And if everything goes according to a strictly outlined plan, then the nuclear power plant for the Moon will be fully built by 2030.

Of course, it is simply impossible to build a full-fledged lunar base without a reliable source of energy. it is logical that the United States paid attention to nuclear reactors as the most stable and durable sources energy.

Well, we will follow the development of this project. After all, now more than ever the so-called "battle for space" has intensified, and the first who will build on the Moon fully a functioning base, will receive a clear advantage in the further study and development of other cosmic bodies of our Solar systems.

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