by A new image shows a possible version of future space propulsion.
Nuclear fission systems, which harness the energy released when atoms split, could be used to power astronaut bases on the Moon or Mars. Or they could help shorten the travel time to the Red Planet, which takes six to nine months to reach with current generation propulsion systems.
Rolls-Royce could be part of this ambitious future of spaceflight. The venerable company released a preliminary design for a micro nuclear reactor on Friday, January 27, following a 2021 deal (opens in a new tab) with the UK Space Agency to study future nuclear power options in space exploration.
“Each uranium particle is encapsulated in multiple protective layers that act as a containment system, allowing it to withstand extreme conditions,” Rolls-Royce said. tweeted (opens in a new tab) in a brief description of the system.
Related: NASA is funding nuclear probes for icy moons, huge new space telescopes and other far-flung tech ideas
Nuclear systems have long flown on robotic space missions. For example, radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) provide power to many probes, including NASA’s Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft, which are currently exploring interstellar space. NASA’s large Mars rovers like Perseverance and Curiosity also use RTGs, although smaller rovers like Spirit and Opportunity have solar panels.
But RTGs are not fission reactors. Rather, they are nuclear batteries, converting the heat released by the decay of radioactive materials into electricity. Nuclear fission has yet to propel a spacecraft off Earth, although that may soon change; for example, NASA and DARPA recently announced plans to build a nuclear thermal rocket by 2027.
Nuclear fusion – the energy source of the sun and other stars, which arises from the fusion of atoms – could also one day be part of humanity’s spaceflight portfolio. This possible future, however, is long-term; our species has not yet harnessed this source of energy here on Earth. (But American scientists recently announced a big breakthrough: a fusion experiment that produced more energy than it consumed.)
Generally speaking, some of the concerns of space fission or fusion power include the safety of astronauts; portability, because more mass means a more expensive mission; and longevity in a harsh and rugged environment.
But nuclear energy is nevertheless an essential part of space exploration, both in reality and in science fiction. The technology even helped fuel a joke in the 2015 movie “The Martian.” In the film, astronaut Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon) – chasing heat in an unheated rover and desperately digging up a reactor buried in regolith for safety – said his training manual on red planet had a section on surface operations titled “Don’t dig up the big box of plutonium, Mark.”
Elizabeth Howell is co-author of “Why am I taller (opens in a new tab)?” (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a book on space medicine. Follow her on Twitter @howellspace (opens in a new tab). Follow us on twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in a new tab) or Facebook (opens in a new tab).
