# The new Rolls Royce **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Tags:** rolls-royce\ **Created:** [March 18, 2023, 4:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-new-rolls-royce/189658 "2023-03-18T16:42:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 4:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-new-rolls-royce/189658/1 "2023-03-18T16:42:19Z")
… Nuclear Reactor? 🤔 Yes, I know that it’s not the luxury car company… > **[UK backs Rolls-Royce project to build a nuclear reactor on the moon](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/17/uk-backs-rolls-royce-project-to-build-a-nuclear-reactor-on-the-moon.html?utm_campaign=mb&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=morning_brew)** > > Rolls-Royce is set to work with a range of organizations on the project. ---
**Author:** ![old\_mopar\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6bbea6/32.png) [@old\_mopar\_guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/old_mopar_guy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-new-rolls-royce/189658/2 "2023-03-18T17:54:27Z")
So now that we’ve made this planet almost unlivable, we feel compelled to do it on the moon? ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 9:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-new-rolls-royce/189658/4 "2023-03-18T21:10:11Z")
Maybe they can hire the 20,000 engineers/techs getting laid off from Facebook. Heard they are pretty smart. Can they work from home? ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 11:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-new-rolls-royce/189658/7 "2023-03-18T23:33:29Z")
> [@VDCdriver](#): > > it’s not the luxury car company… Isn’t the RR car company just one of RR’s divisions? Or are they completely separate companies? One of RR’s divisions makes engines for commercial jet airlines I think. Maybe the moon project is that division. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 3:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-new-rolls-royce/189658/9 "2023-03-19T03:16:48Z")
RR cars owned by BMW. Different company. ---
**Author:** ![cdaquila](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cdaquila/32/18089_2.png) [@cdaquila](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cdaquila)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 11:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-new-rolls-royce/189658/10 "2023-03-19T11:31:19Z")
Morning. I think it’s indisputable one thing that heats up over time is climate change discussion on this here forum. How about we leave it alone for now? Thanks! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 12:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-new-rolls-royce/189658/11 "2023-03-19T12:18:04Z")
> [@texases](#): > > RR cars owned by BMW. Different company. +1 The automotive division was spun-off many years ago. Ever since then, VW owns the Bentley brand, and BMW owns RR cars. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 5:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-new-rolls-royce/189658/13 "2023-03-19T17:12:13Z")
Rolls-Royce? Nuclear reactor? on the moon!?! OK, let’s see. We’ll start with the easy stuff. Who thinks robots could do all the work without human intervention? Which is the only COUNTRY to ever have put people on the moon? Hint: it’s not the UK. So first, they need to be able to put people on the moon for an extended period. Unless this is an IKEA reactor… and even then… Next, we need to lift more stuff by orders of magnitude than ever before- to the moon, including lots radioactive material. Then it has to be built. By a company not known for anything like this. Where do I sign up to invest! 🤣 In the end, for what? When solar power is abundant in spades and much more economical, less risky than nuclear power? Somebody has been hitting the Koolaid or this is the new Onion… ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 6:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-new-rolls-royce/189658/14 "2023-03-19T18:07:02Z")
> [@TwinTurbo](#): > > When solar power is abundant in spades and much more economical, less risky than nuclear power? Solar is NOT that abundant in many areas of the Moon since it’s in a tidal rotation with the Earth. There will be days/weeks that portions of the moon won’t see any sun what-so-ever. Nuclear reactors can be built very small. Their called SMRs. And yes they can be assembled like IKEA furniture. [Small modular reactor - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_modular_reactor) ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 8:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-new-rolls-royce/189658/15 "2023-03-19T20:19:17Z")
> [@VDCdriver](#): > > VW owns the Bentley brand Good news! Maybe I can sell my leftover VW Rabbit exhaust hanger to a Bentley owner for a pretty penny? … lol … ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 10:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-new-rolls-royce/189658/16 "2023-03-19T22:06:17Z")
> [@MikeInNH](#): > > Solar is NOT that abundant in many areas of the Moon since it’s in a tidal rotation with the Earth. Nonsense. The moon is almost always 50% lit by the sun even as it rotates around the Earth. There are only a couple of exceptions- like when there is an eclipse but that only lasts for a short time. Lots of online resources but here’s one- [How Much of the Moon is Always Lit?](https://nightskypix.com/how-much-of-the-moon-is-always-lit/#:~:text=With%20one%20exception%20that%20we,lit%20by%20the%20Sun's%20rays). Even if what you said was true, it’s not like the place is packed and all the sunny locations are already occupied 🤣 > [@MikeInNH](#): > > Nuclear reactors can be built very small. Their called SMRs. And yes they can be assembled like IKEA furniture. Did you read the article you cited? These are not yet reality- > Small modular reactors (SMR s) are a **proposed** class of nuclear fission reactors > … > SMRs are typically **anticipated to have** an electrical power output of less than 300 MWe Even so, they don’t like to launch spacecraft now with payloads that have reactors because if they fail in flight, they can shower the Earth with radioactive debris. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 12:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-new-rolls-royce/189658/17 "2023-03-20T00:25:10Z")
> [@TwinTurbo](#): > > The moon is almost always 50% lit by the sun even as it rotates around the Eart I didn’t say it was never lit. I said large portions of the moon will be in the dark for long periods of time. You’d have to have multiple arrays at various points on the moon at large distances apart to constantly supply power to any colony. That wouldn’t be very practical. > [@TwinTurbo](#): > > Did you read the article you cited? These are not yet reality- Yes I did. But smaller nuclear reactors are already here. Nuclear reactors on Subs and even Carriers are hundreds of times smaller than a land based reactor. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 12:50am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-new-rolls-royce/189658/18 "2023-03-20T00:50:56Z")
A number of spacecraft have small nuclear reactors. Not a new technology. And necessary for a moon base, no way they’ll be building a power network around the moon, or have batteries large enough for 14 days of night (too heavy to transport there). [Radioisotope thermoelectric generator - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator) ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 1:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-new-rolls-royce/189658/19 "2023-03-20T13:23:35Z")
Here’s a relevant article: > **[The epic quest to build a permanent Moon base](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230317-the-epic-quest-to-build-a-permanent-moon-base)** > > The handful of astronauts who have set foot on the Moon spent as little as a day on the surface. How do you build a settlement that will last for years? ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 1:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-new-rolls-royce/189658/20 "2023-03-20T13:30:29Z")
Technology has change dramatically since the previous manned moon missions. I do not know NASA’s plans, nor care to research, but would guess supplies would be sent ahead to be ready for manned missions. Likewise for Mar’s missions.