Scientists have developed a nuclear fuel source no larger than a seed, which NASA will test for use in future moon missions.
Scientists in the U.K. have created mini, seed-sized nuclear fuel cells that could power futuristic flower-shaped reactors on the moon as soon as 2030.
The fuel cells are designed to power the Space Flower Moon Micro Reactor, a conceptual car-sized fusion reactor designed by Rolls-Royce. Funding for the reactor was secured in early March, and the design is a leading candidate to power future moon bases as a part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to establish a permanent base on the moon by 2030. Researchers think one of the durable pellets could power a single reactor for up to 15 years.
"On the moon and on planetary bodies that have day and night, we can no longer rely on the Sun for energy and therefore must design systems such as the small micro-reactor to sustain life," project researcher Simon Middleburgh, a nuclear materials expert at Bangor University, said in a statement. The shells of TRISO fuels withstand corrosion, oxidation and high temperatures, and prevent radiation from leaking from the fuel, all of which may arise in space, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
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