NASA scientists design a super-powerful nuclear engine for a flight to Mars

Over the past 5 years, China has repeatedly surprised the United States with rapid progress in space exploration, landing a lunar rover on the back of the moon and completing the construction of its own Tiangong space station. These achievements show that a new space race is unfolding between China and the United States, and this time it concerns the first manned mission to Mars. Each of the two countries wants to be the first to land its astronauts on the Red Planet. The United States may win this race thanks to scientists from the Idaho National Laboratory , Phys.

Scientists from the Idaho National Laboratory at the U.S. Department of Energy are leading a team of researchers working to expand the capabilities of the nuclear thermal engine. With its help, NASA hopes to reduce the travel time to Mars by 2 times and send the first astronauts to the Red Planet by 2040.

According to Bill Nelson, NASA administrator, it is not very practical to go to Mars using conventional engines, as such a flight will take 7 to 9 months. To return, astronauts will have to wait a year or even two. That is why, according to Nelson, it is necessary to create a nuclear electric or nuclear thermal engine that will help to get to Mars about 2 times faster.

At the same time, scientists from the Office of Advanced Research Projects of the US Department of Defense are working to revive the project to create a nuclear heat engine, which began in the 70s of the last century. Scientists believe that, together with Lockheed Martin, they will be able to successfully test a new nuclear-powered launch vehicle as early as 2027.

China is also working on its own project of a nuclear propulsion system for space rockets. Last year in November, it was reported that China was going to build spacecraft with nuclear electric engines. Most likely, this is due to the fact that China plans to get ahead of the United States in terms of the first manned mission to Mars.

It is currently known that China plans to send astronauts to Mars by the end of the 2030s. That is why American experts believe that it is necessary to hurry up with a manned flight to Mars before China is the first to meet the challenge.

As a reminder, the American company Lockheed Martin is designing a new type of nuclear-powered spacecraft that will allow it to reach planets and other space bodies beyond Jupiter much faster. The body of the new spacecraft will house a nuclear reactor, followed by electric motors. The scientific equipment itself will be placed further on a special extension to protect it from the nuclear energy source.