Could This be the First Nuclear Powered Airliner?

BBC ^ | 07-16-2016 | By Stephen Dowling

[Army Air Corps]

The "Project Pluto/Phoenix" nuclear ramjet engine worked. It was also very dirty. It never flew. They did fly a reactor as a test.

Yes, it did work. I like the very idea of a nuclear ramjet aircraft dropping H-bombs. If you are going to nuke someone, go all the way. :-)

we still don't have a working fusion reactor on the ground ...

Tiny details. ;-)

[BuffaloJack]

An atomic powered airplane sounds like the stupidest thing ever. What happens if it crashes?
But then I though storing radioactive waste in a dormant volcano was dumb.
But what do I know?

[crazy scenario]

" And it can use off-the-shelf fusion reactors."

Aummm, don't we have to make a purchase at the off-the-shelf time travel machine store, before proceeding to the off-the-shelf fusion reactor store?

An if we bring off-the-shelf fusion reactor back to 2017, is the warranty void? What about maintenance/service?

I just need clarification!

[Ozark Tom]

There is a charged fission fragment reactor system in the works which sports a direct conversion kinetic to electric. This is not a Carnot limited process, therefore possibly could attain 85% efficiency. It is being developed with space application in mind, and probably is the best kW/kg design yet devised.

http://anstd.ans.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/5132_Tarditi-and-Scott.pdf

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20130001836.pdf

http://www.rbsp.info/rbs/PDF/nsstc10c.pdf

[Bob]

Perhaps using the word “flash” in the name of a nuclear-powered airliner isn’t the best idea in the world.

[BenLurkin]

[Zathras]

When you take off, they play the music from “Thunderbirds are GO”
“Anything can happen in the next 30 min”

[Red Badger]

[Regulator]

T-S Diagrams?

What, you don't remember those fusion-turbo-electric cycle diagrams back in Thermo?!

[The SISU kid]

Hummmm....and the next A.F. ONE won’t have refueling capabilities....

[Red Badger]

Maybe it doesn’t need any.........................

[PeteePie]

“Roger, prepare to move out.”

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I knew there was a good reason to not skip class after some brewskis. I missed all the important stuff!

[JimRed]

Cold fusion? Last I heard that was still a figment of science fiction imagination...but then r0 years ago so were cell phones and personal computers.

[JimRed]

...there was a radiation problem they could not solve.

Shielding was too heavy, unshielded was too hazardous. Maybe they've come up with lightweight shielding?

[JimRed]

but then r0 40 years ago

[robroys woman]

I used to read a lot of articles about Cold Fusion. I’m not into conspiracy theories, but I would also not be surprised to learn that it was “put down” by those in power that needed it to not work. There was some fishy stuff going on.

Kinda like with Flight 800.

[fishtank]

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/05/lockheed-portable-fusion-proejct-still.html

Discount pricing!!!

[SunkenCiv]

He thinks that nuclear fusion could be the best -- yet, no one has shown any research results that it can be made to work in a controlled fashion. Thanks Red Badger.

• Your airliner may be flying electric within a decade ["335 miles or less"]

[Wuli]

http://www.military.com/video/aircraft/military-aircraft/tr-3b-aurora-anti-gravity-spacecrafts/2860314511001