Nuclear Pulse Propulsion – Orion and Beyond (2000) [pdf]
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Re: Nuclear Pulse Propulsion – Orion and Beyond (2000) [pdf]
#2Happy to see this getting some attention. It's seemed like one of the
only viable propulsion methods for interstellar purposes, though
nuclear is unfashionable at the moment.
I remember seeing a chart showing that it was possible to reach other stars using a technique like this. Unfortunately the problem is slowing down. You could get there, but you'd be going too fast to stop. And since the more fuel you carry, the harder it is to reach that speed, it ends up becoming completely impractical to carry enough fuel to both get there and slow down.
Maybe it'd be viable to stop by smashing into a planet, but it's hard for anything to survive that kind of impact force.
Re: Nuclear Pulse Propulsion – Orion and Beyond (2000) [pdf]
#3Happy to see this getting some attention. It's seemed like one of the only viable propulsion methods for interstellar purposes, though nuclear is unfashionable at the moment. I remember seeing a chart showing that it was possible to reach other stars using a technique like this. Unfortunately the problem is slowing down. You could get there, but you'd be going too fast to stop. And since the more fuel you carry, the…
This was considered by project Orion.
Basically you turn the vehicle around and use the propulsion to slow you down. It would use a heap of fuel to do this but it was possible.
Edit, also, great find of this by the poster.
Re: Nuclear Pulse Propulsion – Orion and Beyond (2000) [pdf]
#4Happy to see this getting some attention. It's seemed like one of the only viable propulsion methods for interstellar purposes, though nuclear is unfashionable at the moment. I remember seeing a chart showing that it was possible to reach other stars using a technique like this. Unfortunately the problem is slowing down. You could get there, but you'd be going too fast to stop. And since the more fuel you carry, the…
This was considered by project Orion. Basically you turn the vehicle around and use the propulsion to slow you down. It would use a heap of fuel to do this but it was possible. Edit, also, great find of this by the poster.
But since you already used a bunch of your pulse propellant during acceleration, this is partly compensated for by the vehicle weighing less.
Re: Nuclear Pulse Propulsion – Orion and Beyond (2000) [pdf]
#5Happy to see this getting some attention. It's seemed like one of the only viable propulsion methods for interstellar purposes, though nuclear is unfashionable at the moment. I remember seeing a chart showing that it was possible to reach other stars using a technique like this. Unfortunately the problem is slowing down. You could get there, but you'd be going too fast to stop. And since the more fuel you carry, the…
This was considered by project Orion. Basically you turn the vehicle around and use the propulsion to slow you down. It would use a heap of fuel to do this but it was possible. Edit, also, great find of this by the poster.
In order to have fuel to do that, you'd need to accelerate it to begin
with. It ends up being an exponential increase in the quantity of fuel
required, far more than could be carried.
The chart from the paper was pretty convincing. I'll see if I can dig it up. Making the explosions more efficient can only get you so far. I'd prefer to be optimistic about it, but the math was showing that even with an ideal ability to convert mass into energy, it would require too much fuel, to put it mildly.
Re: Nuclear Pulse Propulsion – Orion and Beyond (2000) [pdf]
#6I really love this stuff, this is a little more out there. (interstellar travel and all...) But I really believe that Nuclear power will be required to continue to explore our Solar System. Nuclear Thermal Rockets like Nerva[1] just seem like the only way to really colonize Mars in a sane way. I'm surprised that Elon Musk thinks it can happen with chemical rockets (and big tanks of LOX to keep cool and haul through the void).
Re: Nuclear Pulse Propulsion – Orion and Beyond (2000) [pdf]
#7What do you guys think of Laser sails & laser-based propulsion methods? The science exists now, seems like its only an engineering challenge.
Phil Lubin has a paper on it as well https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/roadmap...
Re: Nuclear Pulse Propulsion – Orion and Beyond (2000) [pdf]
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
This was considered by project Orion. Basically you turn the vehicle around and use the propulsion to slow you down. It would use a heap of fuel to do this but it was possible. Edit, also, great find of this by the poster.
In order to have fuel to do that, you'd need to accelerate it to begin with. It ends up being an exponential increase in the quantity of fuel required, far more than could be carried. The chart from the paper was pretty convincing. I'll see if I can dig it up. Making the explosions more efficient can only get you so far. I'd prefer to be optimistic about it, but the math was showing that even with an ideal ability to…
According to the wikipedia page on Project Orion:
Later studies indicate that the top cruise velocity that can theoretically be achieved are a few percent of the speed of light (0.08-0.1c).[17] An atomic (fission) Orion can achieve perhaps 9%-11% of the speed of light. A nuclear pulse drive starship powered by Fusion-antimatter catalyzed nuclear pulse propulsion units would be similarly in the 10% range and pure Matter-antimatter annihilation rockets would be theoretically capable of obtaining a velocity between 50% to 80% of the speed of light. In each case saving fuel for slowing down halves the max. speed. The concept of using a magnetic sail to decelerate the spacecraft as it approaches its destination has been discussed as an alternative to using propellant, this would allow the ship to travel near the maximum theoretical velocity.[18]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propuls...
Re: Nuclear Pulse Propulsion – Orion and Beyond (2000) [pdf]
#9I really love this stuff, this is a little more out there. (interstellar travel and all...) But I really believe that Nuclear power will be required to continue to explore our Solar System. Nuclear Thermal Rockets like Nerva[1] just seem like the only way to really colonize Mars in a sane way. I'm surprised that Elon Musk thinks it can happen with chemical rockets (and big tanks of LOX to keep cool and haul through t…
Well chemical rockets are at a stage where all it needs is scaling up to get more power. But I do agree with you, the complexity and sizes needed makes you wonder why waste so much effort on some technology which has inherent physical limits in terms of energy derived. Why not spend that money and effort on accelerating other forms of propulsion techniques (like nuclear) within the same timescales?
We need another Manhattan Project for space tech.
Re: Nuclear Pulse Propulsion – Orion and Beyond (2000) [pdf]
#10Please read Freeman Dysons's "Disturbing The Universe".
This book is autobiographical and Dyson explains his arc of passion for nuclear propulsion and Orion.
His strongest statement in this book is some deep respect for a biological scientist who, after seeing declassified army training manuals on chemical and biological warfare, supposedly discouraged the entire western hemisphere from further develomepment.
This kind of nuclear research is, thankfully, over.