NASA seeks to launch a nuclearpowered rocket engine in four years

Image for article NASA seeks to launch a nuclearpowered rocket engine in four years

News Summary

  • NASA and the US Department of Defense are partnering to develop a nuclear powered rocket engine for in space transportation
  • A nuclear reactor rapidly heats up a propellant probably liquid hydrogen and then this gas expands and is passed out a nozzle creating thrust
  • Traditional chemical propulsion is great for blasting rockets off the surface of the Earth but such machines are terribly inefficient for moving around the Solar System
  • NASA is looking to go to Mars with this system said Anthony Calomino an engineer at NASA who is leading the agency s space nuclear propulsion technology program
Enlarge/ Artist concept of Demonstration for Rocket to Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) spacecraft, which will demonstrate a nuclear thermal rocket engine. 3 with Four years from now, if all goe [+5757 chars]