Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Systems
Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Systems Interest in rockets that use fission reactors as the heat source has centered on manned flights to Mars. Rocket engines operate according to the basic principles…
Specifikacia Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Systems
Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Systems
Interest in rockets that use fission reactors as the heat source has centered on manned flights to Mars. Rocket engines operate according to the basic principles expressed in Newton's third law of motion: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The demands of such missions require rockets that are several times more powerful than the chemical rockets in use today.
In either case, the hot gases flow through the throat of the rocket nozzle where they expand and develop thrust. In a chemical rocket, hot gases are created by chemical combustion; in a nuclear rocket heating of the propellant in a nuclear reactor creates hot gas. Extensive development effort has been expended on nuclear rockets.
The nuclear Rover/ NERVA rocket programs provide a very high confidence level that the technology for a flight nuclear rocket exists. These programs demonstrated power levels between