The development of novel CFD approaches for modeling advanced concepts of NTP ground test facilities will benefit NASA's effort to reach Mars by 2033. The development of novel CFD approaches for modeling advanced concepts of NTP ground test facilities will benefit NASA unfunded and planned mission by enabling space travel beyond capabilities that chemical rocket engines, due to lack of efficiency, restricts. The relatively large fuel consumption of existing propulsion systems, severely limits the ability to safely execute a manned mission to Mars, and entirely prohibits mankind from exploring beyond the asteroid belt. There are numerous potential alternatives to conventional rockets that could one day take us to the outer solar system and advanced propulsion technologies, like NTP is currently one of the most technically promising approaches. NTP designs are evolving; in order to conduct safe, efficient, and affordable ground test programs, mechanisms for validation must be implemented. CFD plays an important role in analysis, and is required in order to be capable of predicting multiphase reactive flow to support the NTP ground test program. Benefits to the commercial space industry would be similar to those that would be enabled for NASA. Commercial industry can take the CFD modeling capability and proceed forward to solve more complex problems after validating against the results produced here. Benefits to other government agencies would be similar to those that would benefit NASA. Novel CFD approaches would enable a better understanding of other related nuclear propulsion technologies (i.e. used by the Army, Navy, DoD, DoE).
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