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UK backs Rolls-Royce project to build a nuclear reactor on the moon

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Re: UK backs Rolls-Royce project to build a nuclear reactor on the moon

#41

Post by whatshisface »

rozal wrote: post #35
kjellsbells wrote: post #29

Is it me, or is the UK government launching an unusually large number of boondoggles lately? Nuclear reactors on the moon. Attempts to become a major player in battery technology. It feels to my jaundiced eye like the UK is trying just a little too hard to remind the world that they still matter. Some Brexit insecurity might explain this, perhaps, but that was over five years ago.

USA has secretly gotten ahead of the quantum race. Part of their disclosure plan is it work with allies on multiple needs. With fusion on the horizon, we will need batteries. With electromagnetic craft, moon trips will be easy.

Secretly? QC companies have been shouting every tiny bit of progress from the rooftops, usually before it gets made.

Re: UK backs Rolls-Royce project to build a nuclear reactor on the moon

#42

Post by pomian »

credit_guy wrote: post #6

There's a problem with nuclear power on the Moon. How do you get rid of the heat? Here on Earth, we just use water, of which we have plenty. But on Moon water is extremely scarce. It would make the sci-fi novel Dune look like an oasis. When we'll have some type of an economy on the Moon, it's very likely that water will be more expensive than gold. One thing is absolutely certain: we will not be able to afford to vap…

A fun fiction novel by John Sanford, Saturn Run, presents a neat solution for the problem of heat dissipation, in space. Fun read.

Re: UK backs Rolls-Royce project to build a nuclear reactor on the moon

#43

Post by double2helix »

pomian wrote: post #42
credit_guy wrote: post #6

There's a problem with nuclear power on the Moon. How do you get rid of the heat? Here on Earth, we just use water, of which we have plenty. But on Moon water is extremely scarce. It would make the sci-fi novel Dune look like an oasis. When we'll have some type of an economy on the Moon, it's very likely that water will be more expensive than gold. One thing is absolutely certain: we will not be able to afford to vap…

A fun fiction novel by John Sanford, Saturn Run, presents a neat solution for the problem of heat dissipation, in space. Fun read.

Yea I loved that book, and not even a huge fan of sci-fi.

Re: UK backs Rolls-Royce project to build a nuclear reactor on the moon

#46

Post by deepsun »

iancmceachern wrote: post #22
m4rtink wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting!l, havent ever thought about that! What is the heat conductivity though ? If it is low, you might have to sink too many heat transfer channels, not to mention with possibly ending up with a hot "bubble" that would no longer provide a temperature gradient.

Your forgetting about radiation. You don't need to conduct it all away, there are 3 modes of heat transfer, conduction, convection and radiation. In this case it's the radiation they'd rely on.

Sunlit surface of the Moon can reach 127 C. Don't know what type of reactor they choose, but it obviously won't work for boiling type of reactors.

UPDATE: I forgot about not-water coolants. Molten salt or liquid metal reactors can work at 500 C, so would radiate anyway, right.

Re: UK backs Rolls-Royce project to build a nuclear reactor on the moon

#47

Post by deepsun »

AYBABTME wrote: post #38
kjellsbells wrote: post #29

Is it me, or is the UK government launching an unusually large number of boondoggles lately? Nuclear reactors on the moon. Attempts to become a major player in battery technology. It feels to my jaundiced eye like the UK is trying just a little too hard to remind the world that they still matter. Some Brexit insecurity might explain this, perhaps, but that was over five years ago.

Their economy is in decline, they need to do something to change the trajectory.

USSR economy was in decline. So they built Buran (copycat of Space Shuttle), and Tu-144 (copycat of Concorde). Both are extremely costly, and that helped USSR to fall sooner.

Re: UK backs Rolls-Royce project to build a nuclear reactor on the moon

#49

Post by ClapperHeid »

pffft8888 wrote: post #40

Reminds me of the first episode of Space 1999 where nuclear explosions on the moon push it out of orbit (not implying there will be explosions, just a nostaligic memory brought up by this news) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6BXaGEuqxo&t=2314s

Now there was a series which really required "willing suspension of disbelief" of even a child's scientific understanding!

Re: UK backs Rolls-Royce project to build a nuclear reactor on the moon

#50

Post by sph »

krasin wrote: post #45
mongol wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://youtu.be/ocBVLMHK6c8

Thanks! I now get the reference, although it was completely accidental. I should watch the movie, I guess.

It is a miniseries and it is excellent and gripping from start to end.
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