Nuclear Conversion for Starship • Hacker News Board

Re: Nuclear Conversion for Starship

#151

Post by wizardforhire » Sat, Nov 04, 2023, 7:07 PM UTC

adrianN wrote: post #150

orost wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A reactor that has never been turned on isn't a significant radiation hazard. It's the fission products that are hazardous, not the fuel, if it's never gone critical there are no fission products yet.

It’sa sufficiently big radiation hazard that I wouldn’t want to be under it.

How much under? I’m guessing the real fear is contact, which then begs the question of dose over time.

Because as I’m sure you know and can see where I’m going with this, you’re already living under an enormous amount of lethal radiation, you and everyone else has been for their entire lives… its called the van allen belts.

Re: Nuclear Conversion for Starship

#152

Post by kristianp » Sat, Nov 04, 2023, 7:38 PM UTC

A loosely related article from a few days ago about Mars Cyclers will be of interest.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38086518 https://planetocracy.substack.com/p/mars-cyclers

Re: Nuclear Conversion for Starship

#153

Post by bluescrn » Sun, Nov 05, 2023, 2:01 PM UTC

nradov wrote: post #119

bunabhucan wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can. You just can't legally do it in Texas. Maybe SpaceY will be based in North Korea or somewhere to escape the burdensome regulatory regime in the USA.

Countries with less burdensome rules are subject to ITAR restrictions.

He could fund a new company elsewhere in the world and start from scratch, perhaps.

But even if he was super-careful about ensuring that restricted information wasn't shared with the new company, I'm sure his political enemies would find ways to have him locked up if he tried that...

Re: Nuclear Conversion for Starship

#154

Post by politician » Mon, Nov 06, 2023, 1:44 PM UTC

idlewords wrote: post #15

politician wrote: post #7

I think we'll see nuclear propulsion for Starship variants that receive fuel rods in orbit and are not designed for reentry. Interplanetary logistics between Earth/Moon/Mars orbits.

Name me a country willing to give Elon Musk control of fissile material, however indirect.

Initially, the US government. Eventually, probably rapidly, enrichment will be done off-Earth from ore mined off-Earth.

Re: Nuclear Conversion for Starship

#155

Post by abecedarius » Sat, Nov 11, 2023, 12:06 AM UTC

klyrs wrote: post #103

abecedarius wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_electric_rocket

That's not quite what I'm picturing (and let's be honest, the idea is silly). That page describes capturing the heat of a nuclear reactor, converting it to electricity, and then using that electricity to force ions out of a thruster. I'm saying, the radiation itself has momentum; don't bother with the contraption.

Yes, just thought you might not know of the related more practical version, and you might be pleased to encounter it.