The Value of A Nuclear Ground Test
- Lockheed Martin, 61 Pathfinder Ln, Port Ludlow, WA 98365 (United States)
With limited budget for space exploration, it is important to look for ways to reduce the cost of the development of a space nuclear power system. One of the major contributors in cost estimates for such a development is the cost to conduct a nuclear ground test, which is an integrated test of the entire nuclear power system with the reactor providing nuclear power in a suitable test facility. Such a nuclear ground test would include the reactor, primary coolant system, shielding, power conversion, reactor instrumentation and control, power control electronics, and at least part of the flight heat rejection system. These components and systems will have been tested separately, but in the nuclear ground test they are tested together with heat supplied by the reactor for the first time. The unit tested would not be flown. This paper discusses the value of a nuclear ground test and identifies the specific test objectives that would be met in a nuclear ground test and the degree to which they could be met using an electrically heated integrated test. In the absence of a nuclear ground test, confidence in the system design can be increased by successful operation of units on the Moon or Mars. This paper comments on the ability of such operation to support validation of the design for manned missions. Finally this paper discusses features of a nuclear power system that would be particularly desirable to improve the chances that the flight unit will operate successfully if a nuclear ground test is not conducted. (author)
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21021223
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2006 International congress on advances in nuclear power plants - ICAPP'06, Reno - Nevada (United States), 4-8 Jun 2006; Other Information: Country of input: France; 4 refs; Related Information: In: Proceedings of the 2006 international congress on advances in nuclear power plants - ICAPP'06, 2734 pages.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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