Building a Nuclear Power Plant on the Moon - Choosing the Location is Tricky!

August 31, U.S. "Space News" reported.

To support America's bold strategic move, NASA announced that it will build a nuclear fission reactor on the moon by 2030.

This way, the United States can gain a foothold on the moon before China lands its astronauts for the first time.

Aside from geopolitical importance, there are other reasons why this move is crucial.

Nuclear energy will be necessary when visiting Mars, as solar energy there is weaker.

It can also help establish a lunar base and possibly achieve a permanent human presence on the moon,

as it can provide stable power during the cold lunar nights.

However, NASA has been thinking about many questions.

Where is the best place to put a nuclear reactor on the moon?

In the 1990s, spacecraft orbiting the moon first observed dark craters at the lunar poles,

which are called permanent shadowed regions.

Scientists now suspect these craters store water in the form of ice,

which is an important resource for establishing a long-term human presence on the lunar surface.

NASA's Artemis program aims at the lunar south pole to utilize the water ice resources there.

The reactor must be close to the water ice deposits.

The problem is, we don't have enough detailed information to determine such a location yet.

Luckily, NASA has completed the construction of the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover mission,

and has passed all environmental tests.

If sufficient funding is obtained, NASA may obtain data on the lunar south and north poles within two years.

Once the optimal reactor location is determined, the next consideration is how to shield the reactor when the spacecraft lands.

When the spacecraft approaches the lunar surface, it kicks up dust and rocks.

It will impact any objects near the landing site like a sandblaster,

unless those objects are placed behind large boulders or beyond the horizon.

In 1969, Apollo 12 landed 163 meters away from the Surveyor 3 spacecraft, which was exposed to the landing jet stream.

Human space exploration is complex.

However, carefully accumulating assets on the moon means scientists will eventually be able to do the same on Mars.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1842009087304714/

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