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To: Brett66
I think an engine such as this would quell all talk of using chemical propulsion. Heck, I think this would be a good engine for an orbital transfer vehicle.

Of course this would be good for long range probes running off an RTG power source for a few thousand years, but serious thrust ?

Use an Orion drive, the radioactive way to fly.

5 posted on 07/12/2002 5:16:21 PM PDT by Centurion2000
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To: Centurion2000
This is an excellent engine, a spacecraft using this engine to go to Mars (probably nuclear power source) could probably do it in half the time of a comparable chemical-powered spacecraft. Of course Orion is the Uber-Engine which unfortunately would be plagued by Uber-political problems. Robert Zubrin proposed a Nuclear Salt Water Rocket design that would not be plagued by the problems of the Orion treaty-buster problems. Plus it's operating efficiency would surpass even Orion's capabilities. If Nasa ever gets around to building such a spacecraft, that means they are very serious about manned space exploration, but I'm not holding my breath on that one. ;)

Nuke Your Way to the Stars

8 posted on 07/12/2002 5:32:26 PM PDT by Brett66
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