NASA’s Fission Surface Power Project

Context: NASA has announced that it is almost done with the first stage of its plan to construct a nuclear reactor on the Moon for generating electricity.

Fission Surface Power Project:

• The fission surface power project aims to create a reliable and environmentally friendly energy source for the Moon and Mars. 
• This system would be an important part of NASA’s Artemis program for exploring the Moon and would involve developing a small nuclear reactor for generating electricity. 
• The project’s goal is to create concept designs for a demonstration on the Moon and to inform future designs for Mars.
• NASA in 2022 has awarded three contracts worth $5 million each to its commercial partners.
• The partners were assigned to design an integrated plant with a reactor as well as a power conversion, heat extraction and management system.
• The idea was to maintain a power system that would suffice human presence on the moon for at least 10 years.
• NASA worked with the Department of Energy and industry in designing a fission power system that could produce 40 kilowatts which would be enough to run over thirty family homes uninterrupted for ten years.
• The three companies chosen for the initial phase of the project were Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse, and IX (a joint venture of Intuitive Machines and X-Energy).

Importance of the Nuclear fission reactor in the project:

• Solar power systems on the Moon came with its limitations, owing to long lunar nights in most of these locations but a nuclear reactor could be placed ideally at permanently shadowed areas and provide continual electricity supply even during such night seasons.
• Unlike solar energy, it is not weather sensitive.
• This could be an important avenue for the vast space mission concerning NASA, aligned to ensuring a sustained human presence on the moon.

What is Nuclear Fission?

• Nuclear fission is the act of splitting large atomic nuclei into smaller ones, resulting in the release of a significant amount of energy. 
• This process is utilised in generating power through nuclear power plants and can also be employed in the creation of nuclear weapons.

Conclusion: 

• The Fission Surface Power Project by NASA is a significant step in lunar exploration as it seeks to develop a dependable energy source using nuclear fission. 
• Through collaboration with experts, the project intends to address the drawbacks of solar power and ensure a consistent supply of electricity for future missions and extended human presence on the Moon.

Source: Indian Express

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