Nuclear Space Propulsion

A human visit to Mars is full of challenges. Chief among them: the time it takes to get to Mars and return home safely -- the long trip is hard on our astronauts.

So what if we could use a new type of propulsion to shorten that journey?

NASA 360 joins Steve Jurczyk, Associate Administrator of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, as he discusses the work happening on nuclear space propulsion.

[spiders]

My uncle was the lead builder for the Nerva project.
Mid to late 60's. It was felt that flying around with these 'Hot' reactors w as probably not a great idea .

[OlhosDeNerd]

Incredible! Great work, can't wait to see that in the rockets!

[balvadeniz]

Nuclear propolsion can work with co2. So it could be practical for return mission. Return vehicle doesn't need extra fuel if it works nuclear energy and co2. I think nuclear co2 propolsion system could work at mars very well. First ly system takes co2 from atmosphere and then compresses it and stores it in tanks. At the take off time it heats co2 for propolsion by nuclear energy.

[balvadeniz]

Co2 nuclear propolsion system could be very Simple and effective. It could work at mars easily. especially return vehicle

[michaeljorgensen]

It seems like promising technology but this presentation leaves out several key features that give me the impression that this is just another thing like the Moller Sky Car. A concept designed to attract investment money but something that will actually never fly. In other words, a way for a small group of people to make a living doing nothing by creating a company that will achieve nothing. If you included in the video how you could achieve a low level thermal fusion chain reaction and then regulate it on the necessary time scale of 10^-4 seconds with sensors that can respond that fast but with no known mechanically device that could. A piezo actuator could move at about 5 MHz but using it to drive a fuel regulator would slow its reaction time. A quick calculation of the acceleration rate that a piezo actuator would need to achieve is about 2400 mm per second squared. The best a piezo can do is about 800 mm per second. So is there a new technology we haven't heard of? Regulating fuel using electromagnetic fields? Not regulating the fuel and using pulses of precise amounts of fuel so as not to vaporize the rocket nozzles? Are you mixing a chemical reaction fuel with nuclear fuel? You haven't explained anything but a general concept of the same exact thing I have been hearing for decades. Maybe I would be a little more excited if there was just a tiny bit more information that would lead me to believe you were serious. Showing a slick animation and then stock pics and videos that I have seen before leaves me very skeptical.

[timlipinski]

Great video ! The NTP engine is not started until the engine is in orbit in space ! Also NASA in Ohio did a basic design of the reusable "24-Hour Lunar Shuttle" (LEO to a Polar LLO) to support a commercial Lunar Base at the Lunar South Pole. The NTP can cut trip times to Mars or take more payload to Mars for the same total launch weight. Back to the Moon to Stay and onto Mars and Beyond-Ad Astra... tjl

[sinjonezp]

The biggest issue seems to be weight. Every form of thrust requires a form of combustion. The ideal scenario is to create significant thrust without the weight IE fuel, certain element co2 etc..once in space weight isn’t relevant. Ion propulsion seems feasible, but the thrust doesn’t help while dealing with significant gravity, weight, and friction..while nuclear could be an answer, the weight of making a reactor, that can propel a large object is just borderline impossible in current states

[celadrial]

Doesn't low-enriched Uranium drastically increase the critical mass, making the reactor needlessly heavy?

[davidskotarczak]

Magnetic field propulsion, everything in the galaxy has a magnetic field. Free!

[balvadeniz]

Co2 is heavy but system can take co2 from mars atmosphere Continuously and simultaneously. So system couldn't be so heavy. System can take some of co2 from mars atmosphere while it takes off.

[bobd]

how do I submit an idea for a propulsion system for evaluation?

[stephenphoenix]

I would think that the ultimate goal would be a constant 1g acceleration and deceleration to the destination.

[CreamOfEcstast.]

Are they still working on this project or has it been canned ?

[williammiller]

Is this program still up and going? Haven't heard anything about it in a while. I had also read that Russia was suppose to test a nuke powered rocket this year. Anyone hear anything about that? I actually looked on the Russian space agencies website and found nothing. As well as the main nuclear company for Russia and nothing too. I was kinda expecting that though lol

[yarngod]

This is how nuclear weapons should be repurposed by every country, mutual exploration of our beautiful Home instead of our mutual destruction

[umeng]

Let's be real, weapon's grade would be more cool.

[vgames]

And what is with Radiation? Does such a spaceship or rocket leave a Trail of lethal Radiation behind?

[ontheedge]

Cool science but let’s say for people instead for crew over and over !

[MolotovWithLux]

#rapidtransittechnologies
#holographic

[shabnamrafique]

An answer to the baby boomer retirement crisis...send them in to space; I'm sure they will be able to afford the travel costs.