HIGH SURVIVABILITY LOW POWER LOW COST SPACE POWER SUPPLY

THE NEED EXISTS FOR A HIGHLY SURVIVABLE, LOW COST, SPACE NUCLEAR ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLY THAT WILL BE CAPABLE OF DELIVERING 6 KWE OF STEADY POWER FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME WITH HIGH RELIABILITY. ANY CANDIDATE SPACE POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM MUST SURVIVE SEVERE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING NATURAL RADIATION IN ORBIT, MICROMETEORITES, ANDDEBRIS AS WELL AS HOSTILE THREATS SUCH AS GROUND AND SPACE-BASED LASERS, KINETIC KILL SYSTEMS AND NUCLEAR WEAPONS. THE PRIMARY SOLUTION TO POWER SYSTEM SURVIVABILITY ARE SMALL SIZE AND RADIATION AND TEMPERATURE RESISTANT CONSTRUCTION. TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE THE FEASIBILITY IS BEING EXAMINED OF PROVIDING A VERY HIGH SURVIVABILITY SPACE POWER UNIT IN THE RANGE OF 1 TO 10 KWE. THE UNIT WOULD CONSIST OF A SHIELDED, SMALL NUCLEAR REACTOR AND STATIC THERMIONIC POWER CONVERSION SYSTEM. THE POWER SYSTEM WOULD HAVE NO MOVING PARTS DURINGOPERATION (STATIC) AND WOULD WEIGH LESS THAN 500 KGM FOR A 7 YEAR LIFESYSTEM. THE CONCEPT IS EXPECTED TO HAVE AMPLE CONTROL AND SAFETY FOR SAFE GROUND HANDLING, LAUNCH, ABORT, STARTUP, OPERATION, AND SHUTDOWN.THE METHOD AND MATERIALS OF HEAT TRANSPORT BEING DEMONSTRATED COULD HAVE APPLICATIONS FROM COOLING HYPERSONIC LEADING EDGES IN TRANSATMOSPHERIC FLIGHT TO VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE, HIGH POWER, COMPACT,SPACE-BORNE KLYSTRONS AND OTHER HIGH TEMPERATURE COMPONENTS AT TEMPERATURES FROM 1800K TO 2100K.