A nuclear-powered rocket could take a crew mission to Mars in just under three months, according to a CNN report. NASA’s plan is to bring humans to Mars by the year 2035, but there are several challenges around the mission. The biggest thing is how long it would take to get to the red planet. A long trip would also mean more exposure to space radiation, which could adversely affect the health of astronauts on the mission.
Now, Ultra Safe Nuclear Technologies (USNC-Tech), a Seattle-based company, has designed a spacecraft that uses nuclear power rockets to shorten the journey. Currently, NASA’s goal for a one-way trip to Mars is about five to nine months.
But switching to a nuclear thermal transfer engine (NTP) comes with its own risks, although USNC-Tech says it has made it safe for the crew.
According to Michael Eades, USNC-Tech’s director of engineering, the rocket was designed to store smelting lifts between the “engine and crew area” and suppresses the radioactive particles to ensure the crew does not get exposed to radiation during the flight.
Jeff Sheehy, chief engineer of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Steering Group, told CNN that NTP rockets will “double the thousands per gallon” making it possible to make a round trip in less than two years.
But there are challenges. One is discovering uranium fuel that can withstand high temperatures inside a nuclear thermal engine, according to the report. However, the company says they are solving the problem by developing fuels that will be able to operate in temperatures as high as more than 2,400 degrees celsius. The fuel consists of a material called silicon carbide that is often used in tank weapons. It is possible to prevent radioactive products from emitting from the reactor by creating a tight gas barrier.
Further, the report adds that the nuclear rockets will not take off from Earth like other rockets powered by thermal engines. They will be taken into space by a regular rocket that would take it into Earth’s orbit when the spacecraft builds nuclear power. And in case something goes wrong when the rocket explodes, the USNC-Tech said that the pieces of the nuclear reactor would not come to Earth or any other planet because they cannot move in space.
While the USNC-Tech idea could open up a new approach to deep space exploration, until technology is truly tested, it will be a while before astronauts take off to Mars in a rocket with a nuclear thermal engine.