Many are seeking to send manned missions to Mars in the near future. Among those interested in these trips are Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump.
But there are a number of problems that need to be resolved before this goal is achieved, most importantly energy. Long-term stays on Mars, or anywhere else, will require a lot of energy, including the journey back to Earth.
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Researchers from NASA, the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Department of Energy said on Thursday (January 18th) that they had successfully tested a system that could create the energy needed to support long-term manned missions to Mars.
The researchers revealed the success of initial experiments of the device, “Kylopur,” a small nuclear reactor that can generate enough energy supplies that can be used in the missions of Mars.
Kellopur can produce between 1 kW, which is enough to run a baking machine, to 10 kW.
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In an article published in Space.com, the researchers said in the magazine Space.com that there would be a need for 4 or 5 Kellopur to meet the energy needs of Mars.
“The size of the micro-microbus allows us to deliver multiple units on a single vehicle to provide tens of kilowatts of energy,” Steve Gurchik, assistant director of NASA’s Space Technology Task Force, told a news conference on Thursday.
The team plans to conduct a full test of the new energy system in March.
