Russia Hopes Nuclear Ship Will Fly to Mars
By Vladimir Isachenkov
The Associated Press
MOSCOW — Russia should build a new nuclear-powered spaceship for prospective manned missions to Mars and other planets, the nation’s space chief said in remarks released Thursday. Anatoly Perminov first proposed building the ship at a government meeting Wednesday but initially didn’t explain its purpose. He said in remarks posted Thursday on his agency’s Web site that the nuclear spaceship should be used for human flights to Mars and other planets. He said the project is challenging technologically, but could capitalize on the Soviet and Russian experience in the field. Perminov said the preliminary design could be ready by 2012. He said it would then take nine more years and 17 billion rubles (about $600 million, or euro400 million) to build the ship. President Dmitry Medvedev backed the project Wednesday and urged the government to find the money. “The project is aimed at implementing large-scale space exploration programs, including a manned mission to Mars, interplanetary travel, the creation and operation of planetary outposts,” Perminov’s Web statement said. The ambitious plans contrast with slow progress on building a replacement to the mainstay Russian spacecraft, sounding more like a plea for extra government cash than a detailed proposal. Russia is using Soyuz booster rockets and capsules, developed 40 years ago, to send crews to the International Space Station. The development of a replacement rocket and a prospective spaceship with a conventional propellant has dragged on with no end in sight. Despite its continuing reliance on the old technology, Russia stands to take a greater role in space exploration in the coming years. NASA’s plan to retire its shuttle fleet next year will force the United States and other nations to rely on the Russian spacecraft to ferry their astronauts to and from the International Space Station until NASA’s new manned ship becomes available. Perminov said the new nuclear-powered ship should have a megawatt-class nuclear reactor, as opposed to small nuclear reactors that powered some Soviet military satellites. The Cold War-era Soviet spy satellites had reactors that produced just a few kilowatts of power and had a life span of about a year.
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