Reference News Network, August 7 report - According to the website of Scientific American magazine on August 4, NASA may soon deploy nuclear energy on the moon.
The acting administrator of the agency, Sean Duffy, has issued instructions to accelerate the process of building a nuclear reactor on the lunar surface.
The Politico reported first that this instruction will speed up NASA's long-considered but so far ineffective lunar nuclear reactor program to support space science exploration missions.
Due to the extremely long lunar night (equivalent to two weeks on Earth) and the exceptionally cold temperature, nuclear energy is an ideal choice for operations on the lunar surface. However, according to this directive, the main reason for accelerating the plan is that China and Russia are strengthening their cooperation and planning to build a nuclear-powered lunar base near the lunar south pole by the mid-2030s.
In addition to providing sufficient power for operations on the lunar surface, the lunar nuclear reactor can also be used for strategic "lunar land grabbing." Although the Outer Space Treaty prohibits countries from establishing sovereign territories in outer space, the treaty also requires space powers to "properly consider" the interests of other countries when conducting activities, meaning they should not occupy or interfere with sensitive infrastructure built by other countries. Therefore, deploying a nuclear reactor on the lunar surface can be used to establish the "no-entry zone" mentioned in Duffy's directive.
However, the biggest issue facing NASA's current lunar nuclear reactor program might be: what tasks will these envisioned new reactors power?
Many experts believe that due to ongoing setbacks in developing the lunar lander based on SpaceX's Starship, the Artemis 3 mission is likely to be difficult to launch as scheduled in 2027. With repeated logistical errors or delays, subsequent Artemis missions aimed at deploying high-energy-consuming infrastructure on the Moon will become increasingly distant, which could make the entire plan more vulnerable to budget cuts, or even completely halted by future governments. (Translated by Yang Xuele)
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7535820052851900938/
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