Small Nuclear Reactors To Supply Mars With Power

Lack of energy is one of the major obstacles for a colony on Mars. NASA will now test nuclear reactors that will solve the problem.

TECHNOLOGY Five small nuclear reactors are to make the dream of a colony on Mars come true. Each of them can generate 1-10 kilowatts of power continuously over a period of 10+ years – enough for such a colony's light, heat, and technical equipment. The unit is called KRUSTY - the Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology.

It uses fission, which is also used in nuclear power plants, in which thermal energy from nuclear fission is converted into power. But nuclear power plants are large and complex, so engineers from NASA’s Glenn Research Centre in Cleveland have developed a more simple, miniature fission generator involving self-regulating, stable nuclear fission. The generator is the size of a rubbish bin and the reactor core itself is something like a roll of kitchen paper. Heat from the core drives pistons which spin a motor - a Stirling Engine. Stirling Engines usually run on heat from steam or the sun, but a chunk of hot radioactive metal can work just as well on frigid Mars.

The advantage of a nuclear reactor over, for instance, solar panels, is that it is sturdy and independent of its surroundings. Those qualities are important on Mars, as large regions are dark, and prolonged dust storms block out the sunlight.

A Mars mission including a Kilopower reactor could land anywhere – also in the dark, northern regions, where there might be ice (for water supply) and signs of life.