The medusa design is a type of nuclear pulse propulsion which has more in common with solar sails than with conventional rockets. Nuclear thermal propulsion provides a greater specific impulse as compared to chemical propulsion. Project orion nuclear pulse rocket, technical reports on the orion concept, atomic bombs propelling massive spaceships to the planets, external pulsed plasma propulsion kindle edition by national aeronautics and space administration nasa, world spaceflight news. It was invented by stanislaw ulam in 1957, and is the invention of which he was most proud calculations show that this form of rocket would combine both high thrust and a high specific impulse, a rarity in. Browse other questions tagged advancedpropulsion specificimpulse or ask your own question. Made more of a test of my new system recordingencoding abilities. The greater specific impulse and lower propellant molecular weight increase the propulsive force per. For sale by the national technical information service, 1972, by thaine w. Newer designs using inertial confinement fusion have been the baseline for most post. The following is an excerpt from the book amazing stories of the space age. As its name suggests, the main idea behind this form of drive is to detonate small nuclear pellets close to a spacecraft and have the resulting propellant plasma push the craft forward. Specific impulse can be calculated in a variety of different ways with different units. Nearly half a century after man first walked on the moon, traveling to the outer reaches of our solar system, let alone to other stars, remains a. Nuclear pulse propulsion wikipedia republished wiki 2.
While there are numerous texts available describing rocket engine theory and nuclear reactor theory, this is the first book available describing the integration of the two. Then i enlarged the pusher plate to get even more specific impulse out of the detonations and as a side effect stop a lot of the hot plasma that would reach the cranes and towers made of heavy construction steel and particularly the payloads. Sped up 4x for most of it, and itll probably be rather boring. It was proposed in the 1990s in another bis project when it became clear that icf did not appear to be able to run both the engine and the ship, as previously believed. Nuclear explosives would be thrown behind a pusherplate mounted on the bottom of a spacecraf.
The main advantage of this scaleup was derived from the fact that the energy capsules would not cost substantially more to have an increased yield. The idea of using nuclear material for propulsion dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. By definition, it is the total impulse or change in momentum delivered per unit of propellant consumed and is dimensionally equivalent to the generated thrust divided by the. Kerbal space program mod adding a npp engine and fuel.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Mar 02, 2018 fortunately, yes, an interstellar orion ship would be straightforward. Nuclear pulse propulsion or external pulsed plasma propulsion is a hypothetical method of spacecraft propulsion that uses nuclear explosions for thrust. Dependence of cost of payload from a specific impulse vladimir prisniakov 54th international astronautical congress of the international astronautical federation, the international academy of astronautics, and the international institute of space law november 2012. Pdf nuclear rocket propulsion download ebook for free. Antiproton triggered fusion propulsion appears to be a promising method for achieving high specific impulse and high thrust in a nuclear pulse propulsion system. Specific impulses of 800 s obtainable by nuclear thermal propulsion utilising a solid core are twice that achievable by its chemical counterpart. Effective specific impulse of external nuclear pulse. Principles of nuclear rocket propulsion 1st edition. Principles of nuclear rocket propulsion sciencedirect. Technical studies on nuclear pulse propulsion were initiated in 1957 by the. Newer designs using inertial confinement fusion have been the baseline for most postorion designs, including project daedalus and project longshot. Ultrahigh specific impulse nuclear thermal propulsion. Newer designs using inertial confinement fusion have been the baseline for most post orion.
In other words, over twice as much as much fuel as payload is needed. The greater specific impulse and lower propellant molecular weight increase the propulsive force per unit propellant flow. In contrast to most other forms of propulsion, nuclear pulse propulsion is a feasible proposal based on todays technology. Ball lightning, corona, solar flare, electrostatic discharge, heliosphere, plasmon, debye length, nuclear pulse propulsion, quarkgluon. Nuclear pulse propulsion orion and beyond 2000 pdf. Nuclear pulse propulsion is a common feature of hard science fiction stories, as the idea offers high thrust andor high specific impulse drives without requiring new physics books. Project orion nuclear propulsion concept the black vault. Nuclear energy for the propulsion of aircraft usaf convair x6 usaf1950s nuclear jet engine tested in bomb bay project pluto usaf,aec5764 nuclear ramjet powered cruise missile nuclear rocket engines. Nuclear pulse propulsion wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Nuclear pulse propulsion andrea klein march 26, 2012 submitted as coursework for ph241, stanford university, winter 2012. Space exploration stack exchange is a question and answer site for spacecraft operators, scientists, engineers, and enthusiasts. In its simplest form, it is the transfer of momentum from the debris of a nuclear explosion to a spacecraft, with repeated explosions being used to provide acceleration. Unconventional rocket drives nuclear thermal propulsion. Effective specific impulse of external nuclear pulse propulsion systems washington, d.
List of stories featuring nuclear pulse propulsion wikipedia. The renewed interest in the space nuclear power and propulsion is the main motivation for the proposed research that is intended to develop reactor design and ntp systems for achieving the highest possible specific impulse research conducted in support of the development of a new nuclear powered thermal. Feb 21, 2018 an electric propulsion enginesuch as a hall thruster that ionizes xenon gashas a high specific impulse, as much as 10 times that of ntp. Unfortunately, id have to disagree with max jones on a number of points he made.
Effective specific impulse of external nuclear pulse propulsion systems reynolds, thaine w. The specific impulse of the propulsion module is 2,500 sec, its weight 200,000 ib. It was first developed as project orion by arpa, after a suggestion by stanislaw ulam in 1957. Why is nuclear pulse propulsion not being developed now. Principles of nuclear rocket propulsion provides an understanding of the physical principles underlying the design and operation of nuclear fissionbased rocket engines. The pulsed nuclear thermal rocket not to be confused with nuclear pulse propulsion, which is a hypothetical method of spacecraft propulsion that uses nuclear explosions for thrust is a type of solid nuclear thermal rocket for thrust and specific impulse i sp amplification. Ulam had a different idea nuclear pulse propulsion. Aug, 2018 these tests are detailed in the book project orion.
What is the specific impulse and thrust of nuclear pulse. Flying platforms with nuclear pulse propulsion monstermaschine. Heinleins 1940 short story blowups happen mentions powering spaceships with nuclear bombs the 1951 novel wine of the dreamers, by john d. Project orion nuclear pulse rocket, technical reports on the. Oct 14, 2016 a nuclear pulse drive starship powered by fusionantimatter catalyzed nuclear pulse propulsion units would be similarly in the 10% range and pure matterantimatter annihilation rockets would be theoretically capable of obtaining a velocity between 50% to 80% of the speed of light. Such vehicles were intended primarily for nuclearpulse operation. The nook book ebook of the project orion nuclear pulse rocket, technical reports on the orion concept, atomic bombs propelling massive spaceships to the. The analysis also leads to the definition of an effective exhaust velocity or effective specific impulse that includes the effect of structure on the propulsion system performancemore comparisons on the basis of gross weight, manufactured weight, and volume are made for chemical osub 2hsub 2, nuclear hsub 2, and a hypothetical nuclear. The specific impulse would have been 1 million seconds and the effective thrust would exceed 700 kn. Specific impulse usually abbreviated isp is a measure of how effectively a rocket uses propellant or a jet engine uses fuel. Originally, orion was being designed for a direct groundlaunch, likely from the jackass flats.
Advanced propulsion systems beyond rocket science, an overview. What would be the specific impulse of a continuous nuclear fusion drive. The final book would likely have several different illustrations. Following chapters discuss the tremendous accomplishments of the past and moves into more current technology.
Specific impulse usually abbreviated i sp is a measure of how effectively a rocket uses propellant or a jet engine uses fuel. In each case saving fuel for slowing down halves the max. Im aware of two main types of drive which could be described as nuclear pulse propulsion. The mass ratio for boosting off or onto luna using an alo 2 rocket is 2. Jan 25, 2017 the following is an excerpt from the book amazing stories of the space age.
Dec 22, 2016 project orion was a study of a spacecraft intended to be directly propelled by a series of explosions of atomic bombs behind the craft nuclear pulse propulsion. Although the near interstellar space can be reached using chemical propulsion, aided by gravitational assist, no mission in interstellar space can be performed in a reasonable time without improvements in. A nuclear pulse drive starship powered by fusionantimatter catalyzed nuclear pulse propulsion units would be similarly in the 10% range and pure matterantimatter annihilation rockets would be theoretically capable of obtaining a velocity between 50% to 80% of the speed of light. Project orion was a study of a spacecraft intended to be directly propelled by a series of explosions of atomic bombs behind the craft nuclear pulse propulsion. Vasimr variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket uses an electromagnetic thruster. Manned planetary exploration capability using nuclear pulse. An electric propulsion enginesuch as a hall thruster that ionizes xenon gashas a high specific impulse, as much as 10 times that of ntp.
Aug 25, 2014 kerbal space program mod adding a npp engine and fuel. Jul 20, 2012 the propulsion system would operate in pulsed mode, just like that of the fullscale, nuclear powered medusa ship. However, this is the first engine on the list that meets the common impression of nuclear spacecraft. Chemical propulsion, characterized by low specific impulse 1 table 1 but enabling to build engines with very large thrusts figure 1, falls short for deep space missions.
It was first developed as project orion by darpa, after a suggestion by stanislaw ulam in 1947. Here are 5 propulsion systems that could take humans to stars. In 1903 it was hypothesized that radioactive material, radium, might be a suitable fuel for engines to propel cars and boats. The development of nuclear pulse propulsion during the 19505 and 1960s looked so promising that it u as onlq through political and nontechnical.
Fortunately, yes, an interstellar orion ship would be straightforward. Effective specific impulse of external nuclear pulse propulsion systems. Sep 09, 2015 nuclear pulse propulsion or external pulsed plasma propulsion, is a hypothetical method of spacecraft propulsion that uses nuclear explosions for thrust. Project orion nuclear pulse rocket, technical reports on. Newer designs using inertial confinement fusion have been the baseline for most postorion designs, including project. For the subscale medusa demonstrator, the cycle would be. Nuclear pulse propulsion or external pulsed plasma propulsion, as it is termed in one recent nasa document is a proposed method of spacecraft propulsion that uses nuclear explosions for thrust. While there are numerous texts available describing rocket engine theory and nuclear reactor theory, this is the first book available describing the integration of the two subject ar.
Daedalus would also have reached a cruising speed of 12% of the speed of light. The propulsion system would operate in pulsed mode, just like that of the fullscale, nuclearpowered medusa ship. It was invented by stanislaw ulam in 1957, and is the invention of which he was most proud. The propellant then goes on to impact the pusher plate at the bottom of the orion spacecraft, imparting a pulse of pushing energy. Sufficient technical information is now available to predict achievable propulsion systems performance with a rather high degree of confidence based on. The explosive charge ablatively vaporizes the propellant, propelling it away from the charge, and simultaneously creating a plasma out of the propellant. Starting from fundamental physics, chapter 1 explains the advantages of nuclear energy and explores the performance limits of nuclear propulsion in terms of specific impulse, thrust, power, and mass.
In antiproton triggered fusion systems the antiprotons are injected into a pellet containing fusion fuel with a small amount of fissionable material. Nuclear pulse propulsion is a proposed method of spacecraft propulsion that uses nuclear explosions for thrust. Project orion was a study of a spacecraft that was to use nuclear pulse propulsion a series of explosions of atomic bombs behind the spacecraft as propulsion. These tests are detailed in the book project orion. Pulse propulsion is an area that captures many peoples imaginations, because it is the only nearterm option for developing a drive system that is high in both specific impulse and in thrust indeed, especially with earlier designs, the challenge was making the ship big enough to handle the power of the drive system. Nearly half a century after man first walked on the moon, traveling to the outer reaches of our solar system, let alone to other stars, remains a distant dream. Nasa wants nuclear thermal engines to fly humans to mars. Nuclear space power and propulsion systems progress in. Early versions of this vehicle were proposed to take off from the ground with significant associated nuclear fallout.
The propulsionsystem performance is characterized by both high thrusttoweight ratios and large specific impulses. This would also result in a slightly increased specific impulse of 1,350 seconds. At 77% propulsion efficiency, the thrust is 290 kn with a specific impulse of 285 seconds. Unconventional rocket drives nuclear pulse propulsion. The fourth, and most entertaining, of coles designs was the nuclear pulse jet. Nuclear propulsion includes a wide variety of propulsion methods that use some form of nuclear reaction as their primary power source. Specific impulse isp is a measure of how effectively thrust is produced from a given quantity of fuel. Nuclear pulse propulsion or external pulsed plasma propulsion, is a hypothetical method of spacecraft propulsion that uses nuclear explosions for thrust. Nuclear pulse propulsion or external pulsed plasma propulsion, is a theoretical method of spacecraft propulsion that uses nuclear explosions for thrust. Reynolds and lewis research center page images at hathitrust. Orions arm encyclopedia galactica nuclear pulse drives. Nuclear pulse drives nuclear pulse propulsion is the oldest design of nuclear rocketry, dating back to the end of the industrial age even before spaceflight had been developed. By definition, it is the total impulse or change in momentum delivered per unit of propellant consumed and is dimensionally.