NASA to Discuss Demonstration of New Space Exploration Power System

Media are invited to attend a news conference at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland at 9:15 a.m. EDT Wednesday, May 2, to discuss a recent experiment to demonstrate a new nuclear reactor power system designed for space.

News conference audio and presentation slides will stream live on NASA’s website.

Kilopower could provide safe, efficient and plentiful energy for future robotic and human space exploration missions to the Moon, Mars and destinations beyond. The experiment was conducted November 2017 through March 2018 at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS).

News conference participants include:

James Reuter, acting associate administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate
Janet Kavandi, Glenn center director
Patrick Cahalane, principal deputy associate administrator for Safety, Infrastructure and Operations at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Marc Gibson, Kilopower lead engineer at Glenn
Dave Poston, chief reactor designer at NNSA’s Los Alamos National Laboratory
Following the news conference, media will have the opportunity to tour the following facilities at Glenn:

Stirling Research Lab, where early Kilopower-related tests were conducted
Electric Propulsion Lab, used to test high-power solar electric propulsion that will be used to develop the power and propulsion element of NASA’s lunar outpost
Simulated Lunar Operations Lab, where NASA develops planetary rover tires and tools for in-situ resource utilization, a process for generating water, oxygen, and other products using space-based resources
Media interested in participating in the event, in person or by phone, must send their name, media affiliation and phone number to Jan Wittry at jan.m.wittry-1@nasa.gov no later than noon Tuesday, May 1.

Media and the public also can ask questions during the briefing on social media using #AskNASA.

Supporting images and video will be available online at:

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/kilopower

The Kilopower project is part of NASA’s Game Changing Development program and is led by Glenn, in partnership with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Los Alamos National Laboratory, NNSS and Y-12 National Security Complex.

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