High temperature heat pipes for spacecraft fission power

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.

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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.