Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Russia Develops Spaceship With Nuclear Engine

Posted by samzenpus on from the glowing-exhaust dept.

Matt_dk writes "The Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos has developed a design for a piloted spacecraft powered by a nuclear engine, the head of the agency said on Wednesday. 'The project is aimed at implementing large-scale space exploration programs,' Anatoly Perminov said at a meeting of the commission on the modernization of the Russian economy. He added that the development of Megawatt-class nuclear space power systems (MCNSPS) for manned spacecraft was crucial for Russia if the country wanted to maintain a competitive edge in the space race, including the exploration of the Moon and Mars."

2 of 297 comments (clear)

  1. In Soviet Russia... by thatkid_2002 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Nuclear spaceship pilots YOU!

  2. Re:The space race isn't over... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Uh, the risk is vanishingly small. The nuclear reactions used in spacecraft are so far simply sub-critical nuclear thermal reactions. There's simply not enough fissile material to enable an explosion. Worst that can happen is a disintegration of the vehicle, resulting in a widespread dispersion of uranium or plutonium, which would never be sufficiently concentrated in any locale to be even a minor health concern. Atom bomb tests in the 60s and 70s spread far more of that stuff than any current spacecraft is capable of.