NASA wants to develop nuclear technology for its future spacecraft. The Viking landers on Mars, Voyager missions beyond the solar system and the lunar Apollo missions all used nuclear energy to provide electricity to their spacecraft. But using nuclear energy to propel a probe through space, that’s new. Nuclear power offers unprecedented flexibility for space travel, potentially allowing for continuous propulsion and electrical power. It also increases longevity, while making space travel faster. “For a small increase in price, we get an immense increase in science,” NASA Associate Administrator for Space Science Ed Weiler said.