BFR concepts and ideas thread.

[DDE]

17 hours ago, NSEP said:

Hmmm.

Maybe they could make a seperate module that would have the nuclear reactor radiation shielding, engines and fuel in place. It would be hard and expensive to do, and most certainly not in the near future, but they could theoretically reach nearly anywhere in to solar system in just 2 or more launches. Maybe its better to just stick with chemical fuels, but its just an idea, that's what this thread is for, after all.

It’s really difficult to make nuclear reactors plug-and-play, especially if we limit ourselves to those aft cargo bins. Aside from needing an angled shadow shield, you’ll have major trouble disembarking if the reactor has been used recently (in the last century). Furthermore, keeping the reactor on a stick (which, BTW, is ultimately an option here) is nice because the surrounding vehicle structure would otherwise backscatter the radiation at the crew despite the shadow shield.

Radiators are even more of an issue, TBH, since they're another source of backscatter yet presumably they’d also be mounted in the bins. A multimegawatt plant would need a whole damned lot of them, though - or operate at obscene temperatures for the entire trip.

Bottom line is, space nuclear power and aerodynamic vehicles don’t mesh well. Those huge flying girders are much handier, which makes the overall ITS concept ultimately handicapped.

Edited December 14, 2018 by DDE

[kerbiloid]

Spoiler

A long stick is an advantage for a military interplanetary space ship. They can have a shooting range inside.