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Nuclear Rockets Moving Along

Posted by Hemos on from the building-towards-tomorrow dept.

AKAImBatman writes "Bruce Behrhorst of NuclearSpace.com recently stumbled across a new engine from everyone's favorite Jet Engine maker, Pratt & Whitney. Unlike P&W's previous engines, however, this engine is not a jet, and is powered by Nuclear Fission. It seems that P&W has responded to the need for Mars transportation by inventing the first commercially viable nuclear thermal rocket. They have heavily improved upon the NERVA NRX design from the 60's, and have even solved the graphite ablation problem! With this new engine, it seems that an inexpensive trip to Mars is now firmly within our grasp. Will we rise to the challenge?"

7 of 620 comments (clear)

  1. Phew! by grub · · Score: 5, Funny


    and have even solved the graphite ablation problem

    I was just lamenting over the seemingly unsolvable graphite ablation problem!

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    Trolling is a art,
    1. Re:Phew! by spellraiser · · Score: 4, Funny
      Yeah, but why did it take so long? It's not exactly rocket science, now is it?

      Oh wait ...

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      I hear there's rumors on the Slashdots
  2. Re:Not quite by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    It'll just have be renamed to the "Super fun happy propulsion device"

  3. Nuclear subs by SimonShine · · Score: 5, Funny

    So Nuclear subs have been operating in secret? Well, yeah...

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    Take off every 'ZIG' !!
  4. Re:No chance... by Pxtl · · Score: 5, Funny

    Nuclear is only okay on things that are designed to kill people. Didn't you get the memo?

  5. Re:Not quite by Paster+Of+Muppets · · Score: 4, Funny

    New
    Untried
    CLever
    Economically
    Acheivable
    Rocket

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    Due to lack of disk space this user has been discontinued
  6. Re:Not quite by Control+Group · · Score: 4, Funny
    As a rule, I don't reply to AC's.

    But damn, that's the best "in Soviet Russia" joke I've ever seen on here, and it didn't say anything about Soviet Russia.

    And if you'll just provide a billing address, I'll send you an invoice for post-nasal soda removal from my keyboard.

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    Reality has a conservative bias: it conserves mass, energy, momentum...