Can nuclear power keep our moon bases alive? | Tyler Bernstein | TEDxPaloAlto
In this TEDx Talk, Tyler Bernstein reveals a critical vulnerability for America's ambitious plan to build a permanent moon base: the brutal two-week lunar night. While past solar-powered missions have frozen, radioisotope power systems (RPS) offer a...
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Can nuclear power keep our moon bases alive? | Tyler Bernstein | TEDxPaloAlto
In this TEDx Talk, Tyler Bernstein reveals a critical vulnerability for America's ambitious plan to build a permanent moon base: the brutal two-week lunar night. While past solar-powered missions have frozen, radioisotope power systems (RPS) offer a compact, decade-long solution, as demonstrated by China's continuous lunar operations and the US's own Apollo-era success. Bernstein argues that to successfully establish a permanent human presence and win the new space race to "stay on the moon," the US must industrialize the production of these nuclear batteries, recycling nuclear waste into vital fuel for future missions.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=bL22vStv5W4