AssetID: 52962145
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: Nuclear-Powered Spacecraft That Can Take Humans To Mars To Be Operational By 2027
Caption: This is the nuclear-powered spacecraft that will send humans to Mars a craft which is set to be operational by 2027. Although the idea of a nuclear-powered spacecraft may seem like something out of science-fiction, an in-space flight demonstration is only four years away. For humans to travel to Mars, they will need much more powerful and efficient propulsion method than traditional chemical fuel-based engines. Nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) engines offer thrust as high as conventional chemical propulsion with two-to-five times higher efficiency which means the spacecraft can travel faster and farther and can significantly reduce propellant needs. They also enable astronauts to abort missions on journeys to Mars in a way that would not be possible with chemical propulsion systems. An NTP system uses a nuclear reactor to quickly heat hydrogen propellant to very high temperatures and then funnels that gas through the engine nozzle to create powerful thrust. The fission-based reactor will use a special high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, to convert the cryogenic hydrogen into an extremely hot pressurised gas. The reactor will not be turned on until the spacecraft has reached a nuclear safe orbit, making the NTP system very safe.
Keywords: Space,Lockheed Martin,Mars,NASA,Science,Astronauts,Moon,Lunar,Nuclear,Future,Technology,Sciences,Research,Tech,Explore,Planetary,Missions,Rocket,Nuclear-Powered,Aerospace,Firm,DARPA
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