Human space travel to Mars gets one step closer after key test

US engineers have tested a thermal propulsion reactor fuel at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Centre with the aim for it to be eventually used for deep space missions, such as travelling to Mars.

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) is developing Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) reactor technology.

GA-EMS is working with NASA to see if the fuel meets the high-performance specifications it needs to be able to work effectively in such unique conditions.

And the results from the test have proved promising.

In a statement, Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS, said: "The recent testing results represent a critical milestone in the successful demonstration of fuel design for NTP reactors.

"Fuel must survive extremely high temperatures and the hot hydrogen gas environment that an NTP reactor operating in space would typically encounter.

"We're very encouraged by the positive test results proving the fuel can survive these operational conditions, moving us closer to realizing the potential of safe, reliable nuclear thermal propulsion for cislunar and deep space missions."

Humans travelling to Mars is one step closer after a nuclear fuel was tested at NASA / inhauscreative, iStock

The fuel was tested with hot hydrogen flow through samples and was put through six thermal cycles that kept ramping up to a peak temperature of 2,600 k (Kelvin), in other words 4,220 degrees Fahrenheit.

Each cycle included a 20 minute hold at absolute peak performance to make sure it would shield the fuel material from the effects of hot hydrogen, which include erosion and degradation.

Dr Christina Back, vice president of GA-EMS Nuclear Technologies and Materials, said: "To the best of our knowledge, we are the first company to use the compact fuel element environmental test (CFEET) facility at NASA MSFC to successfully test and demonstrate the survivability of fuel after thermal cycling in hydrogen representative temperatures and ramp rates.

"We've also conducted tests in a non-hydrogen environment at our GA-EMS laboratory, which confirmed the fuel performed exceptionally well at temperatures up to 3000 K, which would enable the NTP system to be two-to-three times more efficient than conventional chemical rocket engines.

"We are excited to continue our collaboration with NASA as we mature and test the fuel to meet the performance requirements for future cislunar and Mars mission architectures."

Further tests were performed with different protective features to provide further data on how different material enhancements improve performance under reactor-like conditions.

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