NASA to Work with Military Agency on Nuclear Rocket Test Flight
2023-01-30
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1The American space agency NASA is teaming up with a military research agency to develop a nuclear rocket designed to fly astronauts to Mars.
2NASA recently announced it would partner with the U.S. Defense Department's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on the effort.
3As the military's research and development group, DARPA has historically helped lead many notable inventions, including the beginnings of the internet.
4NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the first nuclear-powered rocket test flight could be launched as soon as 2027.
5The developing technology is called nuclear thermal propulsion.
6A rocket powered with this technology can travel much faster than with traditional chemical propulsion systems.
7NASA has long studied nuclear thermal propulsion for possible use for space travel.
8But its last engine tests using the technology took place more than 50 years ago.
9The government ended the development program for budget reasons and because of tensions linked to the Cold War.
10NASA has said with nuclear thermal propulsion, a trip to Mars could be completed in three to four months.
11This compares to about seven months with chemical propulsion.
12Building nuclear-powered rockets would permit more crewed trips and improve the safety of astronauts, the space agency says.
13Shorter trips would also require less equipment and other supplies.
14Reducing travel times will be an important part of NASA's future plans.
15It expects to increase the number of crewed flights as it seeks to send humans back to the moon by the mid-2020s and later to Mars.
16Nelson said in a statement, "With the help of this new technology, astronauts could journey to and from deep space faster than ever - a major capability to prepare for crewed missions to Mars."
17Nuclear thermal propulsion engines operate at a far higher energy density and are twice as efficient as rocket engines, officials say.
18The U.S. Department of Energy describes on its website how a nuclear thermal propulsion system works.
19It needs a radioactive material like uranium and another element, such as hydrogen, in liquid form.
20This forms a propellant that is forced through the central part of a nuclear reactor.
21This causes uranium atoms to break apart inside the reactor and release heat.
22The heat turns the propellant into gas, which expands through an opening to produce thrust.
23This kind of energy reaction, called fission, is necessary to create the extremely high temperatures needed to push heavy spacecraft during far trips.
24DARPA and the U.S. Department of Energy have already been jointly developing a nuclear thermal propulsion system to be used during a demonstration test flight.
25In 2021, DARPA awarded money to contractors General Atomics, Lockheed Martin and Blue Origin to study designs of nuclear reactors and spacecraft.
26Tabitha Dodson oversees DARPA's efforts on the test program.
27She told Reuters news agency that by March, the agency is expected to choose a company to build the nuclear spacecraft for the 2027 demonstration.
28NASA said it plans to continue studying and developing modern space nuclear technologies for other areas of the space program.
29This includes plans to put nuclear reactor power systems on the moon, and later Mars, to support future human space activities.
30I'm Bryan Lynn.
1The American space agency NASA is teaming up with a military research agency to develop a nuclear rocket designed to fly astronauts to Mars. 2NASA recently announced it would partner with the U.S. Defense Department's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on the effort. As the military's research and development group, DARPA has historically helped lead many notable inventions, including the beginnings of the internet. 3NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the first nuclear-powered rocket test flight could be launched as soon as 2027. 4The developing technology is called nuclear thermal propulsion. A rocket powered with this technology can travel much faster than with traditional chemical propulsion systems. 5NASA has long studied nuclear thermal propulsion for possible use for space travel. But its last engine tests using the technology took place more than 50 years ago. The government ended the development program for budget reasons and because of tensions linked to the Cold War. 6NASA has said with nuclear thermal propulsion, a trip to Mars could be completed in three to four months. This compares to about seven months with chemical propulsion. Building nuclear-powered rockets would permit more crewed trips and improve the safety of astronauts, the space agency says. Shorter trips would also require less equipment and other supplies. 7Reducing travel times will be an important part of NASA's future plans. It expects to increase the number of crewed flights as it seeks to send humans back to the moon by the mid-2020s and later to Mars. 8Nelson said in a statement, "With the help of this new technology, astronauts could journey to and from deep space faster than ever - a major capability to prepare for crewed missions to Mars." 9Nuclear thermal propulsion engines operate at a far higher energy density and are twice as efficient as rocket engines, officials say. 10The U.S. Department of Energy describes on its website how a nuclear thermal propulsion system works. It needs a radioactive material like uranium and another element, such as hydrogen, in liquid form. This forms a propellant that is forced through the central part of a nuclear reactor. This causes uranium atoms to break apart inside the reactor and release heat. The heat turns the propellant into gas, which expands through an opening to produce thrust. 11This kind of energy reaction, called fission, is necessary to create the extremely high temperatures needed to push heavy spacecraft during far trips. 12DARPA and the U.S. Department of Energy have already been jointly developing a nuclear thermal propulsion system to be used during a demonstration test flight. In 2021, DARPA awarded money to contractors General Atomics, Lockheed Martin and Blue Origin to study designs of nuclear reactors and spacecraft. 13Tabitha Dodson oversees DARPA's efforts on the test program. She told Reuters news agency that by March, the agency is expected to choose a company to build the nuclear spacecraft for the 2027 demonstration. 14NASA said it plans to continue studying and developing modern space nuclear technologies for other areas of the space program. This includes plans to put nuclear reactor power systems on the moon, and later Mars, to support future human space activities. 15I'm Bryan Lynn. 16Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from NASA, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. 17___________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19thermal - adj. relating to heat 20propulsion - n. a force that moves something forward 21journey - n. a long trip 22mission - n. the flight of a spacecraft to perform a task or job 23efficient - adj. working well and not wasting time and energy 24propellant - n. an explosive substance of fuel that causes something to move forward 25thrust - n. upward push or force 26____________________________________________________________ 27What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 28Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.