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Tour the Tomb of NASA’s First and Last Nuclear Reactor

59 points by bcl 14y ago

deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
civilian 14y ago
Cherenkov radiation is so freaking cool. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/06/plum-brook-nuclear-facility/?pid=4023 http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/06/plum-brook-nuclear...
tsuraan 14y ago
Current regulations bar NASA from building or researching fueled nuclear devices I'm not sure what the author means here, but the Mars Curiosity Rover (on its way to Mars right now) is powered by a nuclear device (an RTG). Maybe NASA just isn't allowed to pursue the (real) project Orion-type spacecraft anymore?
stickfigure 14y ago
They actually built and ran those nuclear-powered jet engines! The two test beds are sitting in front of the EBR1 building near Arco, ID. I happened by it on the way home from a very long motorcycle trip: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lhoriman/3763287997/in/set-72157621750944722 http://www.flickr.com/photos/lhoriman/3763287997/in/set-7215... They ran the engines on the ground, and ran the reactor in the plane, but never had the reactor hooked up to engines in a plane. It would have been a horrible idea; to save weight, airflow ran through the reactor core, spewing radionuclides out the exhaust and contaminating everything it flew over. Not to mention the mess a crash would make. More information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Nuclear_Propulsion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Nuclear_Propulsion
- jlgreco 14y ago
  > spewing radionuclides out the exhaust and contaminating everything it flew over. Not to mention the mess a crash would make. Disturbingly, iirc, both of those things were considered to be "features" of the Project Pluto weapon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto
  - InclinedPlane 14y ago
    http://www.merkle.com/pluto/pluto.html http://www.merkle.com/pluto/pluto.html
    - mturmon 14y ago
      Holy guacamole, there's a connection of this monster to Coors beer.

59 points by bcl 14y ago

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

Cherenkov radiation is so freaking cool. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/06/plum-brook-nuclear-facility/?pid=4023 http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/06/plum-brook-nuclear...

tsuraan 14y ago

Current regulations bar NASA from building or researching fueled nuclear devices I'm not sure what the author means here, but the Mars Curiosity Rover (on its way to Mars right now) is powered by a nuclear device (an RTG). Maybe NASA just isn't allowed to pursue the (real) project Orion-type spacecraft anymore?

stickfigure 14y ago

They actually built and ran those nuclear-powered jet engines! The two test beds are sitting in front of the EBR1 building near Arco, ID. I happened by it on the way home from a very long motorcycle trip: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lhoriman/3763287997/in/set-72157621750944722 http://www.flickr.com/photos/lhoriman/3763287997/in/set-7215... They ran the engines on the ground, and ran the reactor in the plane, but never had the reactor hooked up to engines in a plane. It would have been a horrible idea; to save weight, airflow ran through the reactor core, spewing radionuclides out the exhaust and contaminating everything it flew over. Not to mention the mess a crash would make. More information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Nuclear_Propulsion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Nuclear_Propulsion

jlgreco 14y ago
> spewing radionuclides out the exhaust and contaminating everything it flew over. Not to mention the mess a crash would make. Disturbingly, iirc, both of those things were considered to be "features" of the Project Pluto weapon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto
- InclinedPlane 14y ago
  http://www.merkle.com/pluto/pluto.html http://www.merkle.com/pluto/pluto.html
  - mturmon 14y ago
    Holy guacamole, there's a connection of this monster to Coors beer.