{"id":30468,"date":"2017-05-17T00:26:01","date_gmt":"2017-05-17T00:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yaabot.com\/?p=30468"},"modified":"2024-02-12T08:41:35","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T03:11:35","slug":"nuclear-propulsion-rockets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entropymag.co\/nuclear-propulsion-rockets\/","title":{"rendered":"Nuclear Propulsion Rocket Are What We Need For A New Space Age"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The first man to land on Mars and also beyond, may not\u00a0fly the way Neil Armstrong went in his chemically powered Apollo 11 spacecraft. Well, he likely will, since we’re not going to be getting rid of restrictions on nuclear propelled rockets before Musk takes us to Mars. But eventually, we’ll shed these chemical thrusters. These old-school chemically powered rockets just don\u2019t provide the required thrust to go to massive distances. Not without exposing their crew to excessively harmful space radiation for months. This is why\u00a0nuclear propulsion rocket is required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History of Nuclear Propulsion Rocket<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nuclear power works perfectly as propulsion technology for spacecraft. The principle behind their working is liquid hydrogen. Liquid hydrogen is heated to a high temperature in a reactor which will eventually expand via the rocket nozzle to provide the required thrust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nuclear propulsion based rockets are not new either. The prospect of harnessing nuclear power to propel aircrafts and rockets has been discussed as early as 1942. That was when Enrico Fermi successfully completed fission reactor tests. By 1944, groups at University of Chicago\u2019s Metallurgical Laboratory and the Los Alamos National Lab developed an early model of a nuclear-thermal rocket. The design was based on this principle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The development of such engines started under the aegis of USA’s AEC (Atomic Energy Commission) in 1955 as Project Rover in the Nevada Test Site. Consequently, four basic designs came from this project: KIWI, Phoebus, Pewee and Nuclear Furnace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually by 1961, the NERVA (Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Applications) program was up and running. NERVA’s purpose\u00a0was to formalise the venture of the nuclear-powered rocket into space exploration. While testing and designing of nuclear reactors were performed\u00a0by the Atomic Energy Commission, NERVA aimed to design a real engine which could be deployed into outer-space for missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nuclear propulsion rocket module<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Ban of Nuclear Propulsion Rocket<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It all started with the Project Orion. It was the study of the spacecraft to be launched by nuclear propulsion. Though it offered very high thrust and specific impulse, the idea eventually fell out because of the adoption of  Partial Test Ban Treaty in 1963. This treaty prohibited the entry of all kinds of nuclear weapons into orbit. This treaty was officially adopted on October 10, 1963. 123 states are signatories to this treaty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another treaty involved here was the Outer Space Treaty (OST). The OST prohibits signatory states from placing weapons of mass destruction onto orbit around Earth. Therefore, if a nuclear propulsion rocket is to be sent into space, you need to prove that it’s not a weapon of mass destruction. Difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Limited Test Ban treaty signed by the US prevents it from launching an Orion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These were political factors. In addition, a number of technological factors were also responsible for the death of nuclear propelled rockets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly – there were grave problems regarding the launch of nuclear propulsion rocket from the ground. At most places, the Earth\u2019s magnetic field would interfere and\u00a0trap the radioactive particles. These would\u00a0eventually return to Earth. So the launch location would have to be\u00a0selected carefully,\u00a0at places with holes in the magnetic field. Secondly – the size and weight were proving to be troublesome. The rockets were\u00a0turning\u00a0out to be very heavy to get into space. Test firings would need to take place outside the Van Allen Belts. In 1962, Project Starfish Prime launched a warhead into space to an altitude of 250 miles. Charged particles got trapped in the Van Allen Belts, knocking out many satellites around Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: Should we be concerned about rocket pollution?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was also an eminent danger of a catastrophic failure known as a containment breach, discovered during testing. These failures were multi-fold, caused by the orbiter impacting the ground, fission runaways, or design flaws in either the atmosphere or orbit. Accidents could pour down a large amount of radiation covering an enormous stretch of land. As a consequence, a group of researchers deliberately exploded a KIWI reactor in the middle of Jackass Flats, that was a part of the Nevada Test Site. The explosion proved out to be apocalyptic, wiping out everything and anything that came in its way through 600 feet and poisoning the land through 2000 feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do we still need nuclear propulsion rockets?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite all the issues that have occurred in the past, Nuclear propulsion rocket is what we need for the new space age and there are so many reasons why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n