Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Nuclear-powered rocket could get astronauts to Mars faster
A manned mission to Mars is our next space dream after the Moon, which is only about 384,000 km away. With current technologies, it takes about three days to get there. But Mars is much farther away. The closest that Earth and Mars would approach each other would be when Mars is at its closest point to the sun and Earth is at its farthest, which is about 55 million kilometers apart. That is over 140 farther than the Moon. With chemical engines, which are used by today’s rockets, it would take at least three years to get there and come back. If astronauts stay in space that long, they are exposed to hazardous space radiation and risks for malfunctions or accidents, not to mention the zero-gravity environment that weakens their physical strength and mental conditions. So, a Seattle-based nuclear technology company proposed nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) engine which could reach Mars in 90 days. Why not? There have been nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines for decades. But there still are concerns about the radiation from the reactor to the astronauts and the environment. How can those potential problems be solved?
Enjoy reading the article about this new technological solution to reach the red planet and beyond.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/03/world/nuclear-powered-rocket-scn-spc-intl/index.html
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