Space nuclear powerIn 1965, SNAP 10A, the first nuclear reactor in space, was launched from Vanden berg Air Force Base, Calif. It was activated by a signal from scientists on earth about four hours later, and generated 500 kilowatt-hours of power during its life, providing electrical power for a 1 kgf ion engine. While its ground version lasted 10,000 hours without problems, the orbiting reactor was shut down by an electrical failure in another of the satellite's systems after 45 days in operation. It is still orbiting the earth. SNAP stands for Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power. Although the Soviet Union has flown many nuclear reactors in space, the SNAP-10A is the only one flown by the United States. |
