4 ms·

Nukes can also serve as propellant! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propu

Nukes can also serve as propellant! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propuls... Which could also help with the second issue - say an alien elephant invasion. ;-) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footfall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footfall)

runarberg 4y ago
> Nukes can also serve as propellant Not as of now. The outer space treaty[1] forbids nuclear explosions in space. I don’t think this treaty will be revised until it is made obsolete by a total elimination of these weapons of horror (e.g. by another treaty[2]). So if you want to see nuclear explosions used as propellant in space (which honestly isn’t such a bad use for them) then I recommend you petition your government to sign and implement the UN ban on these world ending weapons, if they haven’t already. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_the_Prohibition_of_Nuclear_Weapons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_the_Prohibition_of_N...
- m4rtink 4y ago
  I kinda feel this would be worked out one way or another when someone is in possession of a fully fueled Orion space ship with couple thousand nuclear charges on board.
LargoLasskhyfv 4y ago
I'm unimpressed with the concept of Orion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_lightbulb https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_lightbulb is more inspiring to me.
- AtlasBarfed 4y ago
  Orion impresses me because: 1) it is achievable with 1960s technology 2) the payloads, my god, MILLIONS of tons is the ideal cargo size 3) one month to get to jupiter's moons! I think if we had good funding I would do: 1) Get starship mature 2) capture some asteroids to make an orbital base 3) moon base + a lunar launch loop or launch rail or lunar space elevator 4) build an orion ship on the moon and launch from the moon 5) mine the major asteroids. Profit!
- m4rtink 4y ago
  To this day I'm terrified by this concept - so much that I would frankly rather have nukes detonated behind a ship for propulsion. :P But yeah, if it could be made to work, it has some serious benefits! On a related note, lets also look at the nuclear salt-water rocket - arguably the king of crazy (yet theoretically viable) on the nuclear rocket field right now: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_salt-water_rocket https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_salt-water_rocket
  - LargoLasskhyfv 4y ago
    What is so terrifying about that? It could be the middle way between fission as we know it, and fusion as we can't do reliably/practically(as of now). Just need some superconducting magnets to tame and stop the fusing uranium hexaflouride from touching the fused silica walls :-) Similar to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magneto-inertial_fusion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magneto-inertial_fusion The exhaust is clean, because the system is closed. Also it reminds me of some descriptions of so called 'Vimanas' which occur in old Indian scriptures, and nerdy people from today tried to reconstruct/reverse engineer/remimagine what's described in there. And this fits, perfectly so. Edit: I think of this as even more terrifying thant that saltwater thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fission-fragment_rocket https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fission-fragment_rocket Would you trust in this evil trickster dust? ;->
    - m4rtink 4y ago
      Indeed, this is also very clever and actually sounds quite doable (still I wonder about how much radiation it will give off when running - probably quite a bit! :D) when compared to some of the other concepts. Actually, I kinda think it demonstrates we really are not done with nuclear engines & even better, more crazy and higher performance propulsion methods will show up. And also, we really need to finally start building some of them them! :) Like, even some simple NERVA or NEP would be at least a start. :)

runarberg 4y ago

> Nukes can also serve as propellant Not as of now. The outer space treaty[1] forbids nuclear explosions in space. I don’t think this treaty will be revised until it is made obsolete by a total elimination of these weapons of horror (e.g. by another treaty[2]). So if you want to see nuclear explosions used as propellant in space (which honestly isn’t such a bad use for them) then I recommend you petition your government to sign and implement the UN ban on these world ending weapons, if they haven’t already. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_the_Prohibition_of_Nuclear_Weapons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_the_Prohibition_of_N...

m4rtink 4y ago
I kinda feel this would be worked out one way or another when someone is in possession of a fully fueled Orion space ship with couple thousand nuclear charges on board.

LargoLasskhyfv 4y ago

I'm unimpressed with the concept of Orion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_lightbulb https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_lightbulb is more inspiring to me.

AtlasBarfed 4y ago
Orion impresses me because: 1) it is achievable with 1960s technology 2) the payloads, my god, MILLIONS of tons is the ideal cargo size 3) one month to get to jupiter's moons! I think if we had good funding I would do: 1) Get starship mature 2) capture some asteroids to make an orbital base 3) moon base + a lunar launch loop or launch rail or lunar space elevator 4) build an orion ship on the moon and launch from the moon 5) mine the major asteroids. Profit!
m4rtink 4y ago
To this day I'm terrified by this concept - so much that I would frankly rather have nukes detonated behind a ship for propulsion. :P But yeah, if it could be made to work, it has some serious benefits! On a related note, lets also look at the nuclear salt-water rocket - arguably the king of crazy (yet theoretically viable) on the nuclear rocket field right now: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_salt-water_rocket https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_salt-water_rocket
- LargoLasskhyfv 4y ago
  What is so terrifying about that? It could be the middle way between fission as we know it, and fusion as we can't do reliably/practically(as of now). Just need some superconducting magnets to tame and stop the fusing uranium hexaflouride from touching the fused silica walls :-) Similar to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magneto-inertial_fusion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magneto-inertial_fusion The exhaust is clean, because the system is closed. Also it reminds me of some descriptions of so called 'Vimanas' which occur in old Indian scriptures, and nerdy people from today tried to reconstruct/reverse engineer/remimagine what's described in there. And this fits, perfectly so. Edit: I think of this as even more terrifying thant that saltwater thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fission-fragment_rocket https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fission-fragment_rocket Would you trust in this evil trickster dust? ;->
  - m4rtink 4y ago
    Indeed, this is also very clever and actually sounds quite doable (still I wonder about how much radiation it will give off when running - probably quite a bit! :D) when compared to some of the other concepts. Actually, I kinda think it demonstrates we really are not done with nuclear engines & even better, more crazy and higher performance propulsion methods will show up. And also, we really need to finally start building some of them them! :) Like, even some simple NERVA or NEP would be at least a start. :)