Initial tests in Nevada on a built-in nuclear power device designed to support NASA’s long-term manned mission to the surface of Mars have been successful, officials said on Thursday.
Officials at NASA and the Department of Energy at a news conference in Las Vegas gave an explanation of the development of the nuclear fission system for the NASA-sponsored Kelor project.
In November, months of tests on the system began at the Department of Energy’s National Security Service in Nevada to provide energy for future manned and unmanned space missions to the Moon, Mars and other destinations within the solar system.
One of the main obstacles to any long-term manned mission to the moon or any other planet was to have an energy source strong enough to meet multiple energy needs to support a base, small and light at the same time to allow its transport into space.
This type of task differs from NASA’s six short moon missions between 1969 and 1972.
“Mars is a very difficult environment for energy systems, where sunlight is less than earth or moon, colder at night and experiencing dust storms that can last for weeks and months and sweep across the entire planet,” said Steve Goresek, a NASA space technology official.
A complete test of the new energy system is scheduled for mid-to-late March, a date slightly behind schedule, officials said.