Chilian telescope captures interstellar comet
The Rubin Observatory captured the rare comet known as 31/Atlas, 10 days before the comet was officially identified by NASA.
The comet will come closest to the Earth's Sun around October 30, moving to within 130 million miles of the star and just within the orbit of Mars.
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Sky News AU
17 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Donald Trump's latest plan to win the second space race
NASA has reportedly fast-tracked plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030. The reactor will be part of a pioneering US plan to construct a permanent base capable of sustaining humans on the moon's surface. The US wanting to build a nuclear reactor on the moon is not a new idea. In 2022, NASA gave out three $US5 million contracts for developing initial designs for a lunar reactor. It has been reported that there have been calls to appoint a nuclear power czar to choose two commercial proposals within the next six months. The push for a nuclear reactor on the moon has been framed as critical to outpace a joint effort from China and Russia to install their own reactor on the moon.
SBS Australia
a day ago
- SBS Australia
NASA is reportedly planning to build a nuclear reactor on the moon
A new NASA directive — first reported by Politico and seen by Agence France-Presse — calls for the appointment of a nuclear power czar to select two commercial proposals within six months, framing the push as crucial to outpacing a joint Chinese-Russian effort. Signed by acting NASA chief Sean Duffy, who is also US transportation secretary, the 31 July memo is the latest sign of the agency's shift towards prioritising human space exploration over scientific research under President Donald Trump's second term. "Since March 2024, China and Russia have announced on at least three occasions a joint effort to place a reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s," it says. "The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first." The idea of using nuclear energy off-planet is not new. Since 2000, NASA has invested $308 million towards developing small, lightweight fission power systems, though none have progressed towards flight readiness, according to the directive. The most recent effort came in 2023 with the completion of three $7.7 million industry study contracts that focused on generating 40 kilowatts of power, enough to continuously run 30 households for ten years. Unlike solar power, fission systems can operate around the clock — invaluable during the weeks-long lunar nights or Martian dust storms. Advances in technology have made such systems increasingly compact and lightweight. NASA formally committed to using nuclear power on Mars in December 2024 — the first of seven key decisions necessary for human exploration of the Red Planet. Based on feedback by industry, surface power needs should be at least 100 kilowatts to support "long-term human operations including in-situ resource utilisation," meaning things like life support, communications, and mining equipment to collect surface ice. It assumes the use of a "heavy class lander" that carries up to 15 metric tons of mass, and targets a "readiness to launch by the first quarter of FY30," meaning late 2029. NASA's Artemis program to return to the Moon and establish a lasting presence near the south pole has faced repeated delays. The timeline for Artemis 3, the first planned crewed landing, has slipped to 2027, a date few see as realistic given the planned lander, SpaceX's Starship, is far from ready. China meanwhile is targeting 2030 for its first crewed mission and has proven more adept at meeting its deadlines in recent years.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
A nuclear reactor on the moon? Come again?
New York: The acting administrator of NASA has issued a directive to fast-track efforts to put a nuclear reactor on the moon. 'To properly advance this critical technology to be able to support a future lunar economy, high-power energy generation on Mars, and to strengthen our national security in space, it is imperative the agency move quickly,' Sean Duffy, the secretary of transportation whom US President Donald Trump appointed last month as temporary leader of the space agency, wrote in the directive, which was sent out on Thursday (Friday AEST). Politico was first to report on the directive. In it, Duffy cites plans by China and Russia to put a reactor on the moon by the mid-2030s as part of a partnership to build a base there. If they were first, China and Russia 'could potentially declare a keep-out zone' that would inhibit what the United States could do there, Duffy said. The directive calls for the appointment of a NASA official to oversee the effort within 30 days and for a request seeking proposals from commercial companies to be issued within 60 days. The reactor will be required to generate at least 100 kilowatts of electrical power – enough for about 80 households in the United States – and to be ready for launch in late 2029. One lunar day lasts four weeks on Earth – two weeks of continual sunshine followed by two weeks of cold darkness. That harsh cycle makes it difficult for a spacecraft or a moon base to survive with just solar panels and batteries. Current exploration efforts, both by NASA and by the Chinese-Russian partnership, are focusing on the south polar region, where the sun is never high over the horizon and the bottoms of some craters lie in permanent shadows. Over the years, NASA has financed nuclear reactor research, including the awarding of three $US5 million ($7.7 million) contracts in 2022 to companies developing initial designs. Those designs were smaller, producing 40 kilowatts and weighing under six metric tons. The acceleration of nuclear development is part of the administration's efforts to focus NASA on human spaceflight, while seeking deep cuts to robotic space probes, climate science research and aviation technology development.
