It's not only tech companies that invest in new applications of nuclear power. NASA (American Space and Aeronautics Agency) is researching how to make nuclear energy our reliable power source for use on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Getting astronauts there is not the entire challenge. When they get there, they'll need power for living and exploring. There won't be a back-up electrical grid using natural gas or coal or any fossil fuel. A nuclear plant will have to support the Artemis mission's goal, a sustainable human presence on the Moon.
It's called the fission surface power project. The fission reactor will have to be relatively lightweight, self-contained, and small compared to what we have on earth. How powerful must it be? At least 40 kilowatts. In earth terms, it could "continuously run 30 households for ten years."
from NASA
(cont'd tomorrow)
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