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From: Dave-Platt%LADC@CISL-SERVICE-MULTICS.ARPA (Dave Platt)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: DOE revives space-based nuclear reactor
Message-ID: <8602122345.AA01501@s1-b.arpa>
Date: Wed, 12-Feb-86 18:19:00 EST
Article-I.D.: s1-b.8602122345.AA01501
Posted: Wed Feb 12 18:19:00 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Feb-86 06:48:09 EST
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Organization: The ARPA Internet
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From "Research and Development" magazine, 2/86, page 60...

  "The Department of Energy has revived a program to develop a compact,
   space-based nuclear reactor and has selected the Hanford National
   Laboratory, Richland, WA as the contractor.

   A program to design and build a space-based reactor was begun in
   the 1950s but was dropped in the 1970s.

   The new plans call for development of a 300-kW power reactor by
   1991.  DOE said that the reactor, which could be used for a
   variety of space applications including weapons and radar for the
   Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) program, would be a liquid-
   metal cooled fast-reactor design...

   ... It has been estimated that, with a 6-MW nuclear power
   generating plant on a spacecraft, a five-person crew could travel
   to Mars in about 600 days, stay for 30 days, and return to Earth
   in about 270 days.  Such a reactor would be some 20 times larger
   than the planned 300-kW system.

   Hanford will receive about $300 million from the Federal
   government for the 300-kW project, DOE stated."