In a major advancement for robotic exploration, NASA is moving quickly to make space nuclear power, and eventually nuclear propulsion, an inherent design element in near-term, medium-cost planetary missions. The objective will be to open previously isolated areas of the Solar System for robotic exploration as early as 2013. U.S. nuclear-powered space missions have been few and far between, hampered by cost, politics and the pace of technology development at the Energy Dept., NASA and the contractors.
展开▼
