Novel propulsion ideas for moving around space seem like they’re a dime a dozen recently. Besides the typical argument between solar sails and chemical propulsion lies a potential third way – a nuclear rocket engine. While we’ve discussed them here at UT before, NASA’s Institute of Advanced Concepts has provided a grant to a company called Positron Dynamics for the development of a novel type of nuclear fission fragment rocket engine (FFRE). It could strike the balance between the horsepower of chemical engines and the longevity of solar sails.
Continue reading “An Extremely Lightweight Fission Rocket Could Reach the Solar Gravitational Lens in 15 Years”An Extremely Lightweight Fission Rocket Could Reach the Solar Gravitational Lens in 15 Years
