Short Lifetime For Nuclear Thermal Rockets In Space?

[YNM]

10 minutes ago, Spacescifi said:

What I really want to know is how would the plume of a nuclear water steam rocket look?

Like steam?

We already have LH2/LOX rockets, those basically produce the exact same exhaust gasses.

[Spacescifi]

2 minutes ago, YNM said:

We already have LH2/LOX rockets, those basically produce the exact same exhaust gasses.

 

What?!

So you're saying pouring H2O over a hot nuclear reactor will make a fiery rocket plume?

Sounds just weird, because my instincts tell me that it should just be steam!

I can be wrong I know...I just have never seen water turn to flames LOL

Edited May 30, 2021 by Spacescifi

[YNM]

3 minutes ago, Spacescifi said:

So you're saying pouring H2O over a hot nuclear reactor will make a fiery rocket plume?

Nuclear rockets generally aren't used in atmosphere, they'd only work in space.

LH2/LOX rockets produce H2O. So will your "steam" nuclear rocket.

It's all the same - you wouldn't see anything, except for white when it reflects sunlight from certain angles.

[Spacescifi]

16 minutes ago, YNM said:

Nuclear rockets generally aren't used in atmosphere, they'd only work in space.

LH2/LOX rockets produce H2O. So will your "steam" nuclear rocket.

It's all the same - you wouldn't see anything, except for white when it reflects sunlight from certain angles.

 

Scott Manley to the rescue! Guy is virtually a hero of sorts if you need info as a space scifi writer.

 

 

 

Edited May 30, 2021 by Spacescifi

[Spica]

2 hours ago, Spacescifi said:

because my instincts tell me that it should just be steam!

This right here is 96% steam by mass. The thing you see in daily life and call steam is nothing compared to "thermodynamically interesting" steam.

The transparent part of the plume is around 1200 K, and the pale blue Mach disk is around 3,200 K.

Edited May 30, 2021 by Spica
made image smaller

[RuBisCO]

21 hours ago, Spacescifi said:

 

Thanks.

What I really want to know is how would the plume of a nuclear water steam rocket look?

Well Zubin Drive it would be a beam of radioactive plasma, so white-purple.  Its exhaust in atmosphere would be like a continuous nuclear explosion, in fact I seriously doubt that even if Zubin drive could work that it could work in atmosphere without just exploding. 

I think the others have covered the topic: we all agree water steam will be transparent to whiteish-blue. 

Edited May 30, 2021 by RuBisCO