Nuclear fuel for spacecraft

Two scientists from Ben-Gurion University in the Negev have discovered that a rare nuclear material called "americium" (isotope 242 M) will be very effective for the engines of a spaceship that will fly to Mars

Two scientists from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Dr. Eugene Schwarzraus from the Department of Nuclear Engineering and the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Professor of Nuclear Engineering, Yigal Ronen, discovered that a rare nuclear material called "americium" (isotope 242 M), would be very effective in preventing a ship - A spaceship that will take off to Mars - and this journey using nuclear fuel based on americium and not on uranium as is customary today - will last a few weeks and not 10-8 months as is done now. The two are already experimenting with unconventional nuclear fuels of this type.

The two researchers said in an interview with Ben-Gurion University's Bytown that the only thing holding back the use of americium is the price. This is the most excellent fuel - how much better than uranium - and only the lack of contemporary technology that is not developed enough to produce it in commercial quantities, is what makes it very expensive and inhibits its use.

However, in the future, a change is possible - because the US space agency, NASA, has begun to realize that it is necessary to build nuclear reactors that will generate high-voltage electricity to propel space vehicles to great distances, such as to Mars and even to the planet Jupiter and its moons. The nuclear fuel in their engines must therefore be other than uranium. NASA is already planning a project called "Prometheus" for a flight into the depths of space where the spacecraft will be powered by electricity that will produce a nuclear reactor inside. Also, the plan, for the middle of the next decade, to place a permanent base on Mars and use the materials found on this planet, will require the use of a nuclear fuel other than uranium.

"Only now", says Dr. Schwargraus, "is the world beginning to understand what a tremendous potential lies in the nuclear power plant for flights in space, but also for creating high-quality electricity on Earth." A change in the type of fuel they will use, also in the existing power reactors, will increase their output capacity by 50 percent. Instead of solid fuel - which comes in the form of rods - the Israeli scientist now proposes the use of fuel in the form of hollow cubes, which will also contribute to the effective cooling of the reactor and increase its power. It will be safer, more economical and the rate of its radioactive waste - minimal.

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