NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration jointly with DARPA, a research institute of the United States Department of Defense, to develop a "nuclear propulsion rocket engine" that uses heat generated in a small nuclear reactor for future manned flights to Mars, 2027 It has been announced that a demonstration test will be conducted in 2018.
NASA announced on the 24th that it will develop a nuclear propulsion rocket engine with DARPA = Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in anticipation of future manned flights to Mars.
This rocket engine causes nuclear fission in a small nuclear reactor, and the heat generated is used to eject propellant to fly the rocket.
According to NASA, it is more than three times more efficient than conventional rocket engines that use chemicals. I'm trying to reduce my food consumption.
NASA says that this rocket engine is an important technology for manned flights to Mars, and that it will conduct demonstration tests as early as 2027.
Regarding the use of nuclear power in space development, there have been accidents in the past in which radioactive substances have spread from artificial satellites into the atmosphere, and one of the issues is how to ensure safety.