Researchers at the Welsh University of Bangor have designed nuclear fuel cells, the size of poppy seeds, that can produce the necessary amount of energy to sustain life on the moon for extended periods of time. According to Professor Simon Middleburgh, it was a big challenge, “but a fun one”.
NASA’s Artemis program aims for 2030 to establish a base on the moon. Expeditions could depart from the moon to Mars or other planets. The moon also contains many valuable resources for modern technology.
The BBC was allowed to take a look at the laboratory of the Nuclear Futures Institute at the University of Bangor in Wales. The researchers there are world leaders in the field of fuels. They work with partners such as Rolls Royce, the British space agency, NASA and the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the US. The scientists have now developed nuclear fuel cells, the size of poppy seeds, which will be extensively tested in the coming months, Professor Middleburgh told the BBC.
The moon has no atmosphere that can warm the soil and therefore there are places where the temperature on the moon drops to as much as -248 degrees Celsius. Scientists at Bangor University were looking for a new way to generate energy and heat so that life on the moon would be possible for a long period of time.
Microgenerators
For example, they have developed Trisofuel, a tiny nuclear fuel cell that can be used to power a Rolls Royce portable nuclear generator. That generator is the size of a small car and “something you can stick on a rocket,” says Middleburgh. According to him, it would survive space travel “and still function safely when put on the moon”. The University of Bangor also hopes that the microgenerators can also be used on our own planet, for example during power cuts due to some kind of disaster.
Bangor’s team is also working on a nuclear system to power missiles. “That’s very powerful,” says study leader Phylis Makurunje. “The push it gives to the rocket has a very high thrust. And that is very important because it enables rockets to reach the most distant planets.” According to her, the new technology can even almost halve the travel time to Mars: from nine months to another four to six months.
Geopolitical writer and journalist Tim Marshall is convinced that by 2030 there will effectively be lunar bases, “probably one Chinese and one led by the Americans”. According to Marshall, the major powers cannot afford to miss that train of “what is likely to be a huge breakthrough.” “The Chinese are talking about 2028 to lay the first stone. Probably symbolic to say they were the first. But by early 2030, they will both have bases,” said Marshall.
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