Nuclear reactors and targeted advertising
[!0.987]2018-03-30

You're in luck. Some robots have been discussing cyberforming one of the moons near the gas giant. They need a reactor for their advance base to do a feasibility study.

It's a proton boron reactor, so no neutrons activating surrounding materials. It does produce x-rays from bremsstrahlung during operation, though. The shield needs its own source of cooling.

I intend to follow all safety precautions.

Good. One of the less endearing properties of an energy source powerful enough to lift you out of a gravity well and compact enough to fit on a ship is that it does tend to kill people who aren't careful with it.

Color by George Peterson

The proton-boron cycle is one possible promising fusion cycle for future generations of reactors. The reaction of one proton and one boron-11 nucleus produces three alpha particles and nothing else. Heavy, easily trapped charged particles as products of the reaction would allow the creation of a reactor with direct conversion of particle energy into electricity without the aid of heat machines. The disadvantage of this reaction is that it requires 15 times higher temperatures than the easiest to master deuterium-tritium cycle. (KALDYH)