NERVA says what?

[draeath]

What are NERVA engines? I hear people say they are using them, but they look like the stick nuclear engine?

Edited September 28, 2012 by draeath
stuck != stock

[KAO]

NERVA engines are in layman's terms: nuclear rockets

they are very fuel efficient(in space) and are used in interplanetary travel

[Spaced_Out]

You may find this interesting

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/09/nuclear-flight-system-definition-studies-1971/

[karolus10]

NERVA is acronym of Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application - name of US government program in 1950-70s testing feasibility of nuclear propulsion, program was successful, but further development of Nuclear engines by this program was canceled, because nasa aren't plan send people anywhere futhrer than LEO since Apollo program cancellation.

Mostly it was also common name of solid-core nuclear thermal rocket (or NTR in short).

In short, it was small nuclear reactor using fuel as an coolant (liquid hydrogen) - it passes few times trough reactor heating gas to extreme temperatures and pressure, then directing this gas to the nozzle, generating thrust (it doesn't burn fuel, it's only heat them).

Also it exist oxygen argument-ed version (you can consider this like jet engine with afterburner), witch was injected to the nozzle and causing to instantly ignite super-heated hydrogen, generating much more thrust at cost of need of lower Isp and short engine life - less than 30 minutes of burn (so they are mostly expendable), compared to hours in "classic" solid core nuclear engines (capable of making ~10x to moon and back on one set of engines, with only need of refueling on orbit).

[Vanamonde]

canceled, because nasa aren't plan send people anywhere futhrer

Another factor in the cancellation was public worries about nuclear reactor safety.

[ElJugador]

They're the same