NASA’s Revolutionary Nuclear Reactor Plans for the Moon

NASA has revealed its groundbreaking plans to construct a nuclear reactor on the Moon. This ambitious project represents a significant leap forward, potentially providing power for future Moon bases and sustaining long-term missions. However, it also prompts several crucial questions.

What is the estimated cost? Will someone need to remain on-site to manage it? And for the pessimists, what if it malfunctions?

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The History of Nuclear Power in Space

This isn’t the first instance of nuclear technology in space.

In the early 1950s, NASA pioneered the development of the uranium-fueled “SNAP” (Nuclear Auxiliary Power system), designed for space exploration.

In 1965, just four years prior to Neil Armstrong’s historic Moon landing, SNAP-10A became America’s inaugural nuclear-powered satellite, operating for 43 days in Earth orbit.

Nuclear devices have since powered various deep space missions, including Voyager and the Mars rover Curiosity.

Some, like the systems depicted in the movie The Martian, utilize low-power solutions known as radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), which convert heat from radioactive decay into electricity.

Additionally, two Russian lunar missions have carried radioactive heaters for power generation.

In a quest to supply increased energy for its lunar initiatives, NASA is exploring small-scale nuclear fission systems that focus on splitting atoms.

In 2018, NASA successfully completed a test for a compact uranium-fueled nuclear reactor called Kilopower, roughly the size of a toilet paper roll, affirming its capability to power a lunar outpost with just four units.

While the concept of “moon reactors” may raise safety concerns, these reactors are designed with extensive safety measures including passive cooling and low-enriched uranium, minimizing the risk of catastrophic failure.

Nevertheless, the possibilities of a reactor mishap are intriguing to consider.

What If There’s an Explosion?

The reality of a nuclear meltdown on the Moon remains largely speculative. Current reactor designs suggest they won’t grow large enough to even be classified as a meltdown.

(A single Kilopower reactor can generate sufficient energy to power a handful of Earth homes for around ten years.)

However, the scale of the reactor isn’t the only factor influencing the consequences of an explosion; the lunar environment plays a critical role.

A nuclear reactor failure on the Moon would unfold quite differently than it would on Earth.

With no atmosphere or weather and only one-sixth of Earth’s gravity, scenarios involving explosions, mushroom clouds, and seismic aftershocks (triggered by atmospheric reactions on Earth) are less likely.

Instead, overheating could lead to a glowing pool of molten metal quietly cooling and solidifying without dramatic fallout.

Yet, this does raise substantial risks for personnel nearby due to radiation exposure.

Even with localized fallout being primarily contained, intense radiation surges still pose significant dangers.

A Close Call in Nuclear Space History

Fortunately, we lack detailed answers to this question, but an American scientist proposed a solution in the 1950s.

Project A119 was a covert initiative to detonate a hydrogen bomb on the Moon amidst the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Thankfully, this concept remained in the planning stages and never materialized.

This article addresses the question posed by Worle’s David Martin: “What would a nuclear meltdown on the Moon look like?”

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