A private space firm is preparing to send a nuclear-powered heater on a trip to the Moon as a way to help spacecraft survive the long lunar nights.
Firefly Aerospace said its Survive-the-Night Package includes a Radioisotope Heater Unit (RHU) which will operate through the extreme cold and prolonged darkness of the 14-day lunar night.
The payload comprises a 5-watt RHU coupled with a platform that includes structural, communications, electrical power, command and data handling, and thermal management subsystems.
Firefly said its earlier Blue Ghost mission allowed it to measure the extreme temperatures on the Moon’s far side where it reached 110°C during the day, before plummeting to 170°C at night.
These aggressive temperature swings can cause violent thermal expansion and contraction in metal spacecraft which stresses joints, welds and chassis. Other materials like rubber gaskets and structural polymers also lose elasticity at cryogenic temperatures, causing micro-cracks, vacuum seal leaks...