Nuclear power may fuel manned space flights in the near future.
China has built a space nuclear reactor capable of powering 10 ISSs. It was reported by SpaceNews.
The reactor was developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and can generate one megawatt of electricity to power and propel the spacecraft. The Ministry of Science and Technology of China approved this project. This model was presented at the innoTech Expo 2016 exhibition in Wan Chai in Hong Kong.
NASA estimates that space missions often use nuclear power when the sun is far away or in areas with stray or weak sunlight, such as the far side of the Moon or the surface of Mars.
Nuclear fission systems provide high levels of power and electricity for robotic missions to the outer planets, which receive very low levels of energy from the sun, rendering solar energy useless. They can also power planetary surfaces for crewed missions.
Recall that the Chinese fusion reactor EAST set a new record for prolonged high temperature – it reached 70 million degrees Celsius, which worked for more than 17 minutes.
Scientists have discovered a new way to generate electricity
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Source: korrespondent
