Wales: Scientists have successfully developed an energy source that could enable astronauts to reside on the Moon for extended periods.
Bangor University has designed nuclear fuel cells, roughly the size of poppy seeds, capable of generating the energy required to sustain life on the Moon.
Professor Simon Middleburgh from the university described the work as a challenge, but an enjoyable one.
The Moon, viewed by some as a gateway to Mars, is rich in valuable resources necessary for modern technology.
The goal is to use it as a launching point to explore planets further afield.
The Bangor research team, renowned for their work in fuels, collaborates with partners like Rolls Royce, the UK Space Agency, NASA, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the US.
Professor Middleburgh from the Nuclear Futures Institute stated that the team plans to conduct comprehensive tests on the nuclear fuel “in the next few months.”
Certain areas of the Moon experience bone-chilling temperatures as low as -248°C because it lacks an atmosphere to warm the surface.
Bangor University plays a significant role in the endeavor to devise alternative means of generating energy and heat to support human existence on the Moon.
The researchers have recently dispatched the diminutive nuclear fuel cell, known as Trisofuel, to their partners for testing.
This Trisofuel cell could potentially power a micro nuclear generator, developed by Rolls Royce.
The generator, roughly the size of a small car and suitable for rocket attachment, will undergo rigorous testing resembling the forces experienced during space travel, in preparation for the establishment of a lunar base by 2030.
Professor Middleburgh added, “You can launch them into space, with all the forces… and they’ll still function quite safely when they’re put onto the Moon.”
