September 5, 2025
“NASA is racing to develop a nuclear power source on the Moon. In a new directive, Acting Administrator Sean Duffy instructed the agency to expedite the development of Fission Surface Power (FSP)…compact nuclear reactors designed to produce sustainable, high-output energy for human missions to the Moon and Mars. “We’re in a race to the moon, in a race with China to the moon. And to have a base on the moon, we need energy,” Duffy told reporters during a press conference late Tuesday. “This fission technology is critically important…let’s start to deploy our technology to move to actually make this a reality.” As reported.
I read this with some incredulity. With all the needs we have on Earth, with the ever-present threat of a debt spiral running out of control and ruining the Republic (and your and my economic security) …they are proposing billions to put a nuclear reactor…. on the moon?
Setting aside the tremendous pollution that would result from who-knows-how-many rocket launches, setting aside the inevitable nose-bleed budget over runs…what in the world are we doing?
There are three reasons given for doing so:
Nuclear reactors in space are likely to prove important for powering long-term space missions. A nuclear reactor would assist with long stays on the moon, and lunar surface power needs are at least 100kWe for long-term human operations…enough to power 70 to 80 homes.
A major driving factor is geopolitical competition. Since March 2024, China and Russia have announced on at least three occasions a joint effort to place a reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s. There’s concern that the first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit other countries’ activities.
Nuclear power offers significant advantages over solar panels for lunar operations. Unlike solar panels, nuclear reactors can operate continuously through the moon’s 14-day nights and aren’t affected by dust accumulation or the harsh lunar environment.
Let me make a modest suggestion that not only spares the cost but moves toward insuring a better future for our species.
We have a better model for the Moon than a new Cold War style arms race. One that has proven its value and should be applied to the Moon and to Mars.
Antarctica.
The Antarctic Treaty, signed on December 1, 1959, and effective from June 23, 1961, is a key international agreement that governs Antarctica. It was established to ensure that Antarctica is used exclusively for peaceful purposes and scientific research. The treaty prohibits military activity, nuclear testing, and the disposal of nuclear waste on the continent.
Key Features:
- Scientific Cooperation: The treaty promotes freedom of scientific investigation and encourages international collaboration in research.
- Demilitarization: Military activities are banned, ensuring that Antarctica remains a zone of peace.
- Territorial Claims: The treaty holds all territorial claims in abeyance, meaning no new claims can be made while the treaty is in force.
Let me ask this. Do we wish to populate the solar system with the inherently destabilizing and violent country-centric regime governing so much of human affairs or should we establish the ideals of the Antarctic Treaty?
Both environments share two common but extremely potent commonalities.
First, they are both hostile and unforgiving environments.
Second, the Moon today, as Antarctica 70 years ago, is pristine and uninhabited. It’s a fresh start.
The alternative is a wasteful duplication of effort, with massive amounts of money being spent by the big powers to compete with each other. And for what? Will we have Chinese astronauts firing Star Trek like phasers at Americans? Hiding behind rocks on the far side of the moon?
The model is already underway…the International Space Station. It seems to function very well, no fist fights reported that I’m aware of.
I can distinctly remember as a child when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, beating us to outer space. And what a tremendous shock that was. Of course, it mostly boiled down to their German scientists being better than our German scientists. I remember exactly what I was doing when we all watched Neil Armstrong step off that ladder on the moon. So, I have memories here.
Never in my life have I seen such an explosion in space-related activity as I see today. And it is, to me, quite obvious that the decision by uber-wealthy billionaires to race rockets instead of cars has led to this. People don’t think things through, sometimes. Even as they vilify Jeffrey Bezos for sending his fiancée and her pals into near outer space, they miss the fact that he built all of that himself. I’m sure there were some government subsidies in there, but without his money (substituting for your and my money), his space company wouldn’t have happened.
Ditto Elon Musk, of course. Ditto Richard Branson. Me, I’m thinking, leave these guys alone. Let them keep tinkering…so far, the results are promising. And if it all fails, it’s mostly their money that fails, not ours. In simple business parlance…this is a sweet deal for the American taxpayer. A space program on someone else’s dime.
OK, I have to say it. I did find the Bezos girlfriend episode another cringe-worthy moment (to rival Mamdani bench pressing yoga-weights). Didn’t someone kiss the ground or some such thing? Ooof!
We have a rare chance in human history to start fresh and do the right thing. To set the future in space where it will be inevitable that the country you’re from will be a rounding error compared to the species you represent.
So let me and my pals point the way to the stars. It’s a good start.
Thoughts, questions, or reflections? I’d love to hear them. You can reach me anytime at anthony@workingprofit.com
