NASA launches tests for the nuclear rocket that should take us to Mars
NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced on Tuesday a plan to test a nuclear-powered thermal rocket engine that will enable manned missions to Mars.
Nuclear thermal propulsion technology could be used for future NASA manned missions to Mars.
The program, called the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) (demonstrator for easy operations beyond the Moon), could enable faster transit times, increased payload capacity and increased
In a nuclear thermal rocket engine, a fission reactor is used to generate extremely high temperatures. The engine transfers the heat produced by the reactor to a liquid propellant, which is expanded and vented through a nozzle to propel the spacecraft. Nuclear thermal rockets can be three or more times more efficient than conventional chemical propulsion. -NASA
Under the agreement, NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) will lead the technical development of the nuclear heat engine to be integrated with DARPA's experimental spacecraft. DARPA acts as the contracting authority for the entire stage and engine development, which includes the reactor. DARPA will lead the entire program, including rocket systems integration and procurement, approvals, programming and safety, cover safety and liability, and ensure engine assembly and integration with vehicle space. In the course of development, NASA and DARPA will collaborate on engine assembly prior to the space demonstration, scheduled for 2027 . -NASA
“DARPA and NASA have a long history of working together to advance technologies for our respective goals, from the Saturn V rocket that brought humans to the moon for the first time to the robotic maintenance and refueling of satellites,” said DARPA director Dr. Stefanie Tompkins. “The space sector is critical to modern commerce, scientific discovery and national security. The ability to make radical advances in space technology through the DRACO nuclear thermal rocket program will be essential to more efficiently and rapidly transport material to the Moon and ultimately people to Mars."
According to the press release, the last time the United States conducted tests of nuclear thermal rocket engines was more than 50 years ago, as part of NASA's Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application and Rover projects.
"With this collaboration, we will build on experience gained from many previous nuclear energy and propulsion projects in space," said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for the STMD. "Recent advances in materials and aerospace engineering are ushering in a new era of nuclear space technology and this flight demonstration will be a major achievement in creating space transportation capability for an Earth-Moon economy."
In reality, NASA had already successfully tested a nuclear thermal propulsion rocket in the 70s of the last century, the famous NERVA project, which unfortunately was subsequently interrupted during the Nixon presidency.
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The article NASA launches tests for the nuclear rocket that should take us to Mars comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/la-nasa-fa-partire-i-test-per-il-razzo-nucleare-che-dovrebbe-portarci-su-marte/ on Fri, 27 Jan 2023 10:32:49 +0000.