Nuclear Science: Challenges Facing Space Reactor Power Systems Development : Report to Congressional RequestersThe Office, 1987 - 41 pages |
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Challenges to Demonstrating Civil Missions contractor DARPA Demonstrating Technological Readiness Developing a Safe DOE's Energy Faces Many Challenges fiscal year 1986 flight system fuel funding GES Program Director GES Project Manager gram Hanford Engineering Jet Propulsion Laboratory kilowatt launch materials megawatts ment million MMW nuclear program MMW program multimegawatt power Multimegawatt Program Faces NASA NASA's National Laboratory needed nuclear power system nuclear reactor power nuclear reactor technology OSTP phase power levels power requirements power source power sys power system concept power system technology Program Faces Greater program managers program officials Program's Top Priority radiation radioactive reactor power system Safety Analysis Report safety review SDIO SDIO's SP-100 GES Program SP-100 Program Faces SP-100 Program's Top SP-100 reactor SP-100 technology space missions space nuclear power space nuclear reactor space power systems space reactor Space Subsystems specific Strategic Defense Initiative subsystems tech technology development
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Page 38 - Argonne National Laboratory Brookhaven National Laboratory Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Lawrence Liver-more National Laboratory Los Alamos National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory Pacific Northwest Laboratory...
Page 1 - The Honorable Robert A. Roe Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology House of Representatives The Honorable Robert S.
Page 32 - Program is to identify and develop at least one space nuclear power system, concept bv 1991 that alone, or in combination with a nonnuclear power system, meets SDI MMW power requirements and for which technical feasibility issues have been resolved. To meet the SDI requirements for safe, reliable, compact MMW power sources, significant advances in space nuclear power technology must...
Page 33 - ... and beyond. Multimegawatt Space Nuclear Power Program The need for powerful new, space-based defense weapons and surveillance systems for protection against the threat of nuclear missiles has been established as a top national priority. The proposed weapons and surveillance systems require large amounts of electrical power, significantly more than can be provided by current power systems. The SDIO has established a program to develop nuclear and nonnuclear systems that can separately or In combination...
Page 23 - A dedicated user is needed for the program to continue flight system development, qualification, and demonstration. In this connection, previous space reactor programs undertaken in the 1950s to the early 1970s were terminated because firm missions that would use nuclear reactor technology did not materialize.
Page 10 - To convert heat to electricity, coolant passes through the reactor core, absorbs the heat and is pumped to an energy converter that converts the heat to electricity. A power conditioning and control system regulates and delivers power to other flight system components. Residual waste heat from the converter is transported to and through radiator panels and dissipated into space.
Page 9 - A nuclear reactor power system consists of several subsystems: (1) a compact nuclear reactor, (2) shielding, (3) a heat transport system, (4) a power conversion system, (5) a radiator, and (6) a power conditioning and control system.
Page 9 - Space nuclear reactor power systems are made up of several subsystems -n addition to the reactor The design of these power systems can vary and depends on factors such as mission type and duration, operating environment, electrical load demands, and other performance requirements.
Page 31 - The list is used to establish the degree of quality assurance required for each specific component or function based on the potential impacts should it fail to perform as designed.
Page 2 - Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have Identified Increasing needs for higher power for future space missions.