The future in space is nuclear

 

 

Artist's impression of Russian nuclear-powered Zeus space tug



Nuclear rockets are the most capable systems in the world. All states, that have space projects are interesting in nuclear-powered space systems, which allows the researchers to travel longer journeys to the solar system. The systems that are planned to use are nuclear rockets, that are operating from the ground or nuclear rockets, that are never touching the surface of any planet. Those "space cruisers" are traveling at the solar system, and deliver cargo like sub-probes and equipment for the colonies of tomorrow.

But the operational profiles of the nuclear rockets matter, if they want to be safe. The nuclear rocket can wait at the lunar orbiter and the cargo will send to the nuclear rocket by using the conventional rockets. If the nuclear rockets like Orion or NERVA system will face an accident, that thing causes that the radioactive material will drop to Moon. The fact is that nuclear technology is at a high enough level for making the nuclear rocket possible. And the problem is that people afraid of nuclear-powered systems.

The nuclear reactors of the spacecraft use extremely high-enriched plutonium or some other synthetic elements. So if there is some kind of accident, that thing causes that the highly radioactive nuclear material is dropping to the ground. In some versions, the highly enriched radioactive material will send in small packages to the lunar orbiter, and there the nuclear reactor will load with nuclear fuel. So the future of space bases nuclear technology.

Russians have published their plans about the Zeus-spacecraft, which can travel across the solar system by using nuclear power. And DARPA has introduced many types of nuclear rockets. The fact is that NASA and DARPA tested nuclear-powered NERVA-system in the Nevada desert. Before NERVA the USA tested the Orion system, which used nuclear bombs for traveling in the solar system.

In the most modern version of Orion, the system uses small plutonium-pellets, which are filled with lithium, and then that pellet will detonate by using lasers. Canceling the original projects caused, that there was no Mars flight in the year 1995, what was the original timeline for Mars flight, if I was right.

()https://thegamut.blog/2021/05/28/nuclear-powered-zeus-space-tug/

()https://spacenews.com/op-ed-americas-future-in-space-is-nuclear/

()https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NERVA

()https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)

Image:()https://thegamut.blog/2021/05/28/nuclear-powered-zeus-space-tug/