NASA and the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration - Naval Reactors (NR) Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will lead to the development, design, delivery, and operational support of civilian space nuclear reactors within NASA's Project Prometheus.

To send astronauts back to the moon, NASA is planning to begin by making maximum use of existing U.S. and foreign rockets as launching systems. Vehicles under consideration may use updated propulsion systems that could blast a flotilla of spacecraft from the Earth to the vicinity of the moon. For voyages of longer duration, however -- to Mars and possibly even more distant destinations -- NASA is designing a whole new system for both space propulsion and space power. If successful, the system could provide future astronauts a swifter means of voyaging far beyond the moon and equip their ships and robotic scouts with far more electrical power than ever has been available to space missions before.

NASA has issued its mission design requirements to three industry teams for a proposed mission to Jupiter and its three icy moons. The requirements are also the first product formulated by NASA's new Office of Exploration Systems in Washington.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory's nuclear-related research involves everything from revolutionary reactor concepts to power sources for space missions. "We have the broadest base of nuclear work," said David Hill, associate laboratory director for Energy and Engineering Technologies. That's a good thing, especially if you pay attention to news reports that indicate the nuclear power industry is talking about revival and that the American reliance on nuclear energy is likely to grow significantly in coming decades.

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Naval Reactors (NR) Program haas joined NASA in its effort to investigate and develop space nuclear power and propulsion technologies for civilian applications. These activities could enable unprecedented space exploration missions and scientific return unachievable with current technology. NR brings 50-plus years of practical experience in developing safe, rugged, reliable, compact and long-lived reactor systems designed to operate in unforgiving environments. NR is a joint DOE and Department of the Navy organization responsible for all aspects of naval nuclear propulsion.

A gangly collection of small, stainless steel pipes lashed together in a hexagonal shape could show Marshall Space Flight Center engineers how to build a nuclear-powered spacecraft. The pipes make up what Marshall engineer Ron Porter calls "a non-nuclear test bed," meaning it has no nuclear material in it. By super-heating the pipes with electricity, Porter said, NASA and Department of Energy researchers can better understand how a nuclear reactor in space might behave. Nuclear reactions generate a lot of heat.

NASA’s new Office of Exploration Systems, known in the jargon as Code T, has already given rise to a number of wisecracks about the agency’s new space race. Which will come first, astronauts beyond low Earth orbit or the end of the alphabet? In any case, the idea behind Code T seems logical enough if one accepts the premise that human and robotic exploration must be complementary. How then, to explain the fact that the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) mission is going to be run by the new office?