美国能源部爱达荷国家实验室的科学家研制出一种手提箱大小的核电站，能够在火星、月球或者任何外太空基地发电，发电量为40千瓦，。美国宇航局已考虑将这种微型核电站用于氧气或氢气发生器的电力支持，另外也可用于有人或无人电子侦察设备的电力供应。

Humans might not be living on Mars or the moon anytime soon, but scientists might have just overcome one major hurdle¹ on the route to interstellar（星际的） habitation: electricity.

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory have designed a suitcase-sized nuclear plant that can power up to eight normal-sized homes. Thanks to its size and durability², the plant can provide fission³（裂变，分裂） power not only on Earth, but on the moon, on Mars, or any other place NASA requires a power generator⁴.

While most nuclear plants generate hundreds or thousands of megawatts of electricity, this portable generator would create only 40 kilowatts⁵. This smaller size is ideal for the type of conditions seen in space, said James Werner, lead researcher on the project.

"Just taking it down to that size has a lot of significant differences," Werner told InnovationNewsDaily.

The generator is more flexible and can be placed in craters⁶（火山口） or caves on uninhabited planets, for example. It is also exponentially less heavy than standard nuclear power plants, which Werner said is essential for a generator to work properly in space.

NASA has envisioned several potential applications for the new power plants. They could power oxygen or hydrogen generators⁷. They could also serve as charging devices for either manned or unmanned electric scouting⁸ vehicles.

The team plans to build a physical demonstration⁹ unit for the plant and test out its capabilities¹⁰ next year.

Astronauts currently use solar cells — which convert light into energy — to power their crafts and devices. However, light sources might not be consistent or reliable in outer space. This nuclear power plant could generate a larger, and far more dependable, supply of electricity.

Nuclear power has been a bit of a controversial issue here on Earth thanks to several overheating accidents that have led to catastrophic disasters, such as the infamous¹¹ Chernobyl meltdown. However, those incidents wouldn't pose a threat to astronauts using this portable reactor¹², Werner said.

"There would be no danger of meltdown," Werner said. "Because of the low power level, it's very safe. If we did have a situation where the power failed, the reactor itself would just shut down."

Though NASA has ended its space shuttle program, Werner isn't worried about the shutdown affecting this program, pointing out that the power plant would use an entirely¹³ different launch vehicle. He's optimistic that once the plant is complete, NASA would allow the team to send it out into space and see what happens.

"I hope that someday we get a chance to actually put into hardware on a flight," Werner said. "That'd be a big day for everybody."