An X-ray “flashlight” that will use a power source based on EmberCore nuclear-charged ceramic technology from Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) to map the lunar surface has been selected for early-stage funding under NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC). program.

a phase 1 study called EmberCore Flashlight: Long Distance Moon Characterization with Dense Passive X- and Gamma Source It will be led by USNC Chief Radioisotope Engineer Chris Morrison, with support from co-researcher Thomas Prettyman of the Planetary Sciences Institute.

The flashlight will use a beam of X-rays and gamma rays that can travel for miles, interact with the ground, and then return to the sensor. The signal back to the sensor provides a “basic fingerprint” information about the lunar surface and what lies beneath. Backscattered gamma rays can be used to detect the presence of substances such as water.

The X-ray flashlight will use EmberSource, which is based on a modified version of the EmberCore nuclear ceramic that USNC has developed for use in propulsion and heating systems in space. For this, so-called “coals” are used, which are made from commercially available inert isotopes charged with neutrons in a nuclear reactor.

By integrating the EmberSource into a specially designed enclosure, X-rays that would normally be captured by the shielding can exit through a controlled aperture. X-rays produced by EmberSource will have an order of magnitude greater beam power than those previously deployed in space. Combined with the rover’s mobility, this will allow the composition of the lunar surface to be mapped in greater detail than was previously possible, the USNC said.

“The new capabilities this technology provides could revolutionize lunar exploration, give us the clearest picture of what resources are available on the Moon, and hopefully pave the way for a permanent human presence,” Morrison said.

Prettyman said the NIAC program is designed to develop visionary ideas that could change future NASA missions, and that the flashlight’s ability to perform basic analysis and work in the dark could potentially be game-changing. “We have a few ideas for how to deploy the source and detectors. For example, a source can accompany the rover as it enters a permanently shadowed crater, which can illuminate the crater floor and power the rover. A second rover or lander could stand outside the crater and measure fluorescent X-ray emission from the inside. ”

Phase 1 of the project is a 9-month feasibility study that will evaluate source parameters and possible mission architectures and evaluate the development of an EmberSource X-ray beacon for use at two different locations on the Moon: Shackleton Crater and Mare Tranquillitatis to search for significant amounts of water and other volatile materials. where it can be used. Source