Are nukes the future of space travel?   
      
   "For all the controversy they stir up on Earth, nuclear reactors can produce    
   the energy and propulsion needed to rapidly take large spacecraft to Mars    
   and, if desired, beyond. The idea of nuclear rocket engines dates back to the    
   1940s. This time around, though, plans for interplanetary missions propelled    
   by nuclear fission and fusion are being backed by new designs that have a    
   much better chance of getting off the ground.   
      
   Crucially, the nuclear engines are meant for interplanetary travel only, not   
   for    
   use in the Earth’s atmosphere. Chemical rockets launch the craft out beyond    
   low Earth orbit. Only then does the nuclear propulsion system kick in.   
      
   The challenge has been making these nuclear engines safe and lightweight.    
   New fuels and reactor designs appear up to the task, as NASA is now    
   working with industry partners for possible future nuclear-fueled crewed    
   space missions. “Nuclear propulsion would be advantageous if you want to    
   go to Mars and back in under two years,” says Jeff Sheehy, chief engineer in    
   NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. To enable that mission    
   capability, he says, “a key technology that needs to be advanced is the   
   fuel.”"   
      
   See:   
      
   https://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/space-flight/nuclear-powered   
   rockets-get-a-second-look-for-travel-to-mars   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)