For Mars, NASA Is Thinking Nuclear

NASA's Kilopwer prototype. (Credit: NASA) Everyone knows NASA has a tough job. Slipping “the surly bonds of Earth” is just the beginning for them. And while getting to the moon, and even Mars, is technically possible right now, one of the biggest problems remains finding and using a decent power source. So why not use nuclear power?Nuclear Know-how No, really. A small nuclear reactor might be the perfect solution, in addition to being pretty safe and clean. Nuclear power, unlike the weaponry, is actually one of the safest energy production methods we have. And according to a NASA press conference Thursday, they’ve been a testing nuclear reactor for Mars. Named Kilopower, the device is a combination nuclear reactor and engine. It has very few moving parts and is fairly compact, providing a portable and reliable source of power. Any future settlements on a world far, far away will need a bunch of it not just for their daily operations — lights, water, oxygen — but for the return trip as well. Gasoline and rocket fuel do the job now, but they’re heavy and bulky, so Kilopower would make planning these sci-fi cities much more efficient. Kilopower’s Killer App Two of the presenters at NASA’s conference, Pat McClure and Dave Poston, both of Los Alamos National Lab, went into detail on how Kilopower works on a guest post on Space.com: