According to the British "Nature" magazine website reported on February 6, Michael Hortz, the nuclear research director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, hopes that astronauts can ride a nuclear reactor to reach Mars. He believes that a small amount of uranium-235 (whose energy density is 1 million times that of liquid fuels) can generate heat through fission to power rockets. Although Horts is full of beliefs about the application of space nuclear power and nuclear thrust technology, the funding allocated for this research area has been unstable. This year, he led a nuclear power propulsion project that only received a $3 million budget, which is almost trivial compared to the $1.3 billion R&D funds NASA received this year. Hortz was very worried about this.

However, a report published by the U.S. National Research Council on February 1 may give Horz a "concentration pill." The report titled "Space Technology Roadmap and Priority Development Project" is the first document to prioritize NASA's space technology. The report's steering committee took a year to consult the industry and academia in detail and ranked the 16 most important technological development areas (including 320 topics). The ranking of nuclear power propulsion technology is very high. . Raymond Koladi, chairman of the committee and former president of the Lockheed Martin Aerospace Branch, said: "It will make a fundamental change in the way of space exploration."

Space nuclear power can change the status quo of solar system exploration

However, there are other technologies that rank higher. For example, the committee emphasized that the "star mask" and coronal observer should be vigorously developed to block the light emitted by distant stars and enable the space telescope to distinguish the light emitted by the planets orbiting these stars. Moreover, the report also places priority on the development of research that will protect astronauts from radiation exposure during long-time space travel.

However, the committee also stated that small-scale fission reactors can change the status of human exploration of the solar system. The reactors can support long-lasting experiments on the surface of the Earth and provide power for exploration outside the solar system. Outside the solar system, the sun is too far away. Therefore, it can provide less energy than the most efficient ones. solar panel.

The committee also said that nuclear power propulsion systems may be necessary for long-distance trips to asteroids or Mars. This reactor is twice as energy efficient as a chemical rocket. They can not only send astronauts to distant space, but they will be faster than ever. This may help reduce the damage of space radiation to astronauts.

Security leads to controversy

Mason Peck, chief technology officer of NASA, said that he will use this priority list as a reference when he allocates R&D funds in the future. At the same time, he also stated that the problems faced in the development of fission for the space sector are not only monetary investments, but also the safety of nuclear power itself. He said that the explosion of a nuclear-powered spacecraft on the launch pad or on the way to its orbit would be a very scary sight. But Hortz believes that after an accident on a nuclear power spacecraft, the risk of contamination of the Earth by nuclear materials is negligible because the nuclear reactor will not start until the spacecraft enters a predetermined orbit.

Despite this, many efforts to prove that this technology is feasible have been progressing slowly. In 2003, NASA launched the Prometheus Project to support the development of a nuclear reactor to drive an electric ion thruster to power Jupiter's detectors. In 2005, the plan received US$430 million in funding, but a year later, as NASA's research plan turned to return to the moon, and the moon did not need nuclear power propulsion technology, the plan was dead.

Nuclear power propulsion technology is getting better

Although the project has died, it does provide support for the research and development of a new type of radioisotope generator that has now slowly begun to bear fruit. Radioisotope generators do not use fission, but rather rely on the natural heat generated by decay. The existing advanced Stirling radioactive isotope generator (ASRG) is lighter and more efficient than previous generators. The space technology report also calls it the “tipping point” technology, and the technology is now fully flied. Preparation for demonstration. ASRG is mentioned in two exploration plans. One plan is to take a spaceship to explore the hydrocarbon sea on Saturn's "Titan" satellite; another plan is to jump between the comets. Both exploration plans have already been considered by NASA.

Hortz believes that these sources of radioactive energy for exploration missions do not cause much political debate. In fact, as early as 1997, the Saturn probe of Cassini-Huygens carried an earlier version of radioisotope generators to Saturn. Since the Cassini is flying far away from the sun, the use of solar cells has some pay. Therefore, as an interplanetary probe for long-distance travel, Cassini carried three He-238 radioisotope generators. This type of generator uses the temperature difference between the heat generated by the fission of radioactive elements and the temperature in the universe to generate electricity.

Horts said that the US "Curic" nuclear-powered rover (MSL) is also powered by nuclear fuel. The “Curious” nuclear-powered rover is part of NASA's 2009 Mars exploration program. It will collect Martian soil samples and cores, and then conduct organic compounds and environmental conditions that may support existing or past microbes. Analysis, the rover has been launched at 10:25 U.S. Eastern Time on November 25, 2011 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base.

According to foreign media reports, as early as last July, the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee had agreed to provide 10 million U.S. dollars in 2012 for NASA to restart the production of plutonium-238. It is hoped that this radioisotope will be the planet of 2020 and beyond. Tasks provide motivation. Because it is not only the outer planet mission that needs to rely on radioactive energy to provide power, the inner solar system needs to visit the moon's backside and Mars. Hortz said: "This seems to indicate that nuclear power propulsion technology is slowly becoming a widely accepted technology."

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