Nasa’s plan to build nuclear power plant on Moon could be crucial for sending humans to Mars

NASA’S plans to use nuclear power in more Moon missions could play a crucial role in getting humans to Mars, according to experts.

Nasa has big plans for the next few decades including a lunar base and a Mars mission but questions remain over how they’ll make all the tech to support such missions.

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Nasa wants to put astronauts on the Moon in 2024 – the first manned mission to the lunar surface in almost five decades.

The space agency has said it wants to set up a permanent base on Earth’s rocky neighbour in 2028.

This base will then help launch future missions to Mars.

Questions remain over what will power the base and whether lunar nuclear power is possible.

Using nuclear power in space is controversial due to previous nuclear disasters.

Nasa could use solar panels, a nuclear reactor, or something else entirely for its base.

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However, lots of experts now think nuclear power is the only valid option for quick and more cost-effective space travel.

A recent Scientific American article stated: “Without nuclear power, the space agency’s stated goal of establishing a moon base by the end of the decade—let alone putting boots on Mars—becomes difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.”

Nuclear power and space are two topics that are controversial when placed together.

In 1978, a nuclear-powered Soviet satellite Kosmos 954 broke up in the sky above Western Canada and scattered radioactive dust along a 400-mile path.

The cleanup operation took almost eight months and all of the fragments found were radioactive, including one poisonous enough to kill a number of people.

Despite the risks, nuclear power could make great propulsion systems for space rockets and it seems Nasa is willing to use it for its Moon and Mars plans.

The space agency often speaks out in favor of safe nuclear space tech.

The space agency previously stated: “NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate is investing in new technology using reactors and low-enriched uranium fuel to enable a robust human presence on the Moon and eventually human missions to Mars.

“Astronauts will need plentiful and continuous power to survive the long lunar nights and explore the dark craters on the Moon’s South Pole.

“A fission surface power system could provide enough juice to power robust operations. NASA is leading an effort, working with the DOE and industry, to design a fission power system for a future lunar demonstration that will pave the way for base camps on the Moon and Mars.

“NASA has also thought about viable ways to reduce the time it takes to travel to Mars, including nuclear propulsion systems.

“As NASA advances its bold vision of exploration and scientific discovery in space, it benefits from 60 years of the safe use of nuclear power during spaceflight.”

In other news, Nasa has upgraded its asteroid hazard software with some key changes that should help it better detect potentially dangerous space rocks.

The US space agency has revealed stunning footage of a solar flare in action.

And, we looked into how living on Mars could change what humans look like.

This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk