Contained Pulsed Nuclear Propulsion System for Space Mass-Mover Missions

Details Contained Pulsed Nuclear Propulsion System for Space Mass-Mover Missions Contained Pulsed Nuclear Propulsion System for Space Mass-Mover Missions

Jul 1994

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1994aipc..301..653m&link_type=abstract

SPACE NUCLEAR POWER AND PROPULSION: Eleventh Symposium. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 301, pp. 653-658 (1994).

Computer Science

Scientific paper

A Contained Pulsed Nuclear Propulsion (CPNP) engine that utilizes nuclear explosives results in very high propellant velocities due to the enormous energy density of a nuclear device. More important, the impulsive nature of the nuclear explosion provides a means for circumventing the thermal barriers inherent in steady-state devices. Investigations in a system that uses small, contained nuclear explosions for propulsion began in approximately 1957 and proceeded until 1965 under the program name HELIOS. HELIOS was considered to have potential, but at the time the material technology was not mature enough to warrant further study. Due to advances in material science, a recent study indicated that a spherical vessel made of composite steel could contain nuclear explosives in the range of 20 to 100 tons (1 ton TNT = 4.2 × 109 Joules). Initially charged with hydrogen, a 100-ton device would result in an impulse that would last less than one second and have an average thrust in the range of 107 N. This paper presents the results of an analysis for using a CPNP rocket for a robotic Mars Cargo Vehicle and for a robotic Asteroid Retrieval Vehicle. The results indicate that a CPNP is practical for moving large masses in the solar system.

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