What is it about?
NASA is examining small fission reactors for future space transportation and surface fission power applications with alkali metal heat pipes to supply energy to the Stirling convertors to produce electricity. This paper covers the design methodologies, fabrication, and test results of such heat pipes.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
The results of the heat pipes in this paper support the feasibility of spacecraft fission power, which has the potential to significantly expand state-of-the-art capabilities in science missions and human exploration of space.
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Alkali Metal Heat Pipes for Kilopower, July 2016, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
DOI: 10.2514/6.2016-4603.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page