After watching Elon Musks talk at oxford, I was browsing a bit thru the alternatives to chemical propulsion and once again stumbled across NERVA. Now it seems t

After watching Elon Musks talk at oxford, I was browsing a bit thru the alternatives to chemical propulsion and once again stumbled across NERVA. Now it seems to me that project was abandoned not because of the fear of the technology (nuclear fallout, etc.) but essentially because it threatened the US budget and would have enabled NASA to pursue extensive mars explorations.