NASA Is FINALLY Building A Nuclear Engine
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- čas přidán 13. 05. 2024
- Round 2 of Sketch Madness is underway! Go to www.thatjoescott.com/madness to vote!
Chemical rockets have made it possible for us to launch satellites into orbit and land humans on the moon, but if we want to go further, into the solar system and beyond, we'll need a different kind of engine, and NASA has recently partnered with DARPA to build a new nuclear thermal propulsion engine named DRACO. If successful, it could change the trajectory of our future in space.
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LINKS LINKS LINKS:
www.nasa.gov/press-release/na...
www.centrusenergy.com/what-we...
history.nasa.gov/conghand/pro...
www.qrg.northwestern.edu/proj...
aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/dep...
aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/nas...
www.energy.gov/ne/articles/6-...
mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/timeli...
www.sciencealert.com/new-nasa...
www.nasa.gov/directorates/spa...
www.worldatlas.com/space/what...
www1.grc.nasa.gov/historic-fa...
www.astronautix.com/r/russianm...
www.wired.com/2012/06/the-las...
large.stanford.edu/courses/201...
www.spacesafetymagazine.com/ae...
mynasastore.com/products/arte...
beyondnerva.com/nuclear-pulse...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project...)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project...
www.engineering.com/story/nuc...
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Intro
2:10 - The DRACO Announcement
4:07 - Nuclear vs Chemical Fuel
5:24 - The Nuclear Advantage
7:40 - Nuclear Rocket History
9:27 - Environmental Concerns
11:14 - Beyond DRACO to Nuclear Pulse
13:50 - Sketch Madness! - Věda a technologie
Doctor: "So you saw a plane flying without a propeller?....and who was flying it?"
Witness: ....the pilot. Too fuzzy to tell 😁
It was bigfoot
I forgor
Bigfoot IS fuzzy!
"You're telling me you were abducted by humanoids with bug eyes...in a plane bigger than a 747 but shaped like a saucer...who flew you to outer space? You can hear yourself, right?"
@@danieltemelkovski9828 😅
Isn’t weird to think there could’ve been an alternate reality where NERVA worked out and there are people on Mars already
That was a really good season, with a crazy twist as to who got to Mars first!
NERVA/KIWI did work. all the way to doing flight configuration tests. But it was all thrown away. and international treaties signed that forbid the use of NTR in space.
@@jessepollard7132 And space is FULL of natural nuclear reactors everywhere lightening up the place so radiation is hardly a problem with an engine as long as you avoid using a nuclear engine in the atmosphere.
@@jessepollard7132 "Worked out" is an English language idiom which means something different to "worked". Actually it has two other separate definitions if you include it's meaning as exercise. I don't know if it's an "Americanism", but I'm not sure how you wouldn't be familiar if English id your native language. I think your upvoters are just not looking closely at the OP's phrase. I guess your correction "worked out", even if it doesn't quite work! ;)
buh buh, nucwear scawy! :'(
That gorilla costume idea was genius! It wouldn't work now because it's public knowledge, but at the time it was absolutely brilliant.
And having the site psychologist in on it, man... people had to been losing it. They wonder why we don't trust the gov, pfffffffffffffffff
Nowadays Pilots dressed up as little green man.
They just say UFO these days
Replace the gorilla with Donald T. and it might work again
I don´t think most actually doubted what they saw, but i certainly understand why no one would insist upon it being real when questioned by a psychologist at work.
6:39 THE NUCLEAR ROCKET FROM KSP. As someone who has played ksp for a long time, im really hyped for this engine. I cant remember the last time i went interplanetary in ksp without a nuclear engine. Nuclear engines make interplanetary so much easier.
What happen to.the FUSION reactor engine
@@intothevortex thatll take us a century to get, shit aint cheap or easy
@@ASlickNamedPimpbackOkay that's a similar time between the Wright flyer and F-22
I'm pretty sure the "NERV" engine used a rocket engine mixed with a nuclear thermal generator. I'm not confident in this though.
@@WildmanTrading NERVA but yeah, and they did it in the 60's and it was all nuclear thermal
I love the gorilla suit story. For years, I've told that one to everyone who will listen. Never knew his name, so thank you. Also, a new launch vehicle? SLS would be perfect for this.
I never heard it before but it is AMAZING!! (kinda cruel, but still AMAZING!!! lol)
You must have been SO MUCH FUN at parties.
Aliens
I don't know why it could launch on a starship booster. That thing should be able to launch anything and should be operational by that time line.
@@bryfunkenstein
Not to mention far cheaper than SLS, but perhaps more importantly it's more likely to actually be available.
SLS boosters are all reserved for Artemis out at least as far as 2030, with proposals to extend that to 2035.
NERVA was shut down for political reasons, otherwise it was basically ready for space when the program ended...IDK if the DRACO timescale is really feasible, but chances are high most of the engineering hurtles were completed with NERVA. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the DARCO engine is almost a direct copy of NERVA as the design was well proven. So 4 years for a working prototype may not be impossible.
At any rate I'm sure all that work is a massive contribution. It would be awesome for this to finally become a reality especially for anyone that worked on it is still around to see that come to fruition.
You have a point. I think the most time consuming part will be testing the more advanced modern materials we now have to decide what to make the parts from. They might want to kidnap some of SpaceX's engineers for this.
@@donscheid97 Seeing as they are teaming up with DARPA on this one, I think its more likely that SpaceX would try to nab some of their engineers instead.
I consider any attempt to transport humans to Mars using current rocket tech a criminal waste of money and effort. Use the absolute rocket tech to reach Moon if you want to but using it to reach should be a strict NO NO.
Instead, all our efforts and money should be put into creating new/useful rocket tech like Nuclear engines or Ion engines. If you cannot reach Mars within 40-45 days, then it should not be done.
I believe that further development into AI technologies will allow us to develop other advanced technologies in a 10th the time, or less, than it takes us today (or yesterday, hard to tell).
The fact that NERVA was so close is likely how they expect to get the new one out so quickly. But as you say, time will tell.
You have a very good point. Maybe they have it working already, just needs to update to project and materials
The nerva project had a 100% tested working engine, using this concept. That was more than 40 years ago so with modern updates. There's two ways the engine can produce thrust. Either cleanly with no radiation leakage or leaving a wake of fallout. Also without any oxygen on board for fuel the design is very stable in comparison. They should have been flying many years ago.
"Okay, so you're telling me that you saw a luminous tic tac shaped object that didn't have a propeller or jet intakes or exhausts hovering around and then moving very quickly away from your Super hornet fighter jet ... You can hear yourself right now, yes?"
XD yeah...
Funny enough, that's what modern AF pilots are seeing: tic-tac shaped white/silver objects moving at hypersonic speeds.
Joe's video on these 'phenomena' does a convincing job covering it up as lighting/lensing artifacts.
He was playing Pong on his “ heads up” display, drunk at 4 g’s.
@@TheRotnflesh why don’t they see Certs or Pez shaped object?
The 'Clone' episode will probably always be my favorite. I still wonder if Joe's clones are still in his basement, or even if this is real Joe or some evolved clone of himself.
Ah, the clones. Probably all grown up now
Hey, be sensitive to their feelings!
*CLONES ARE PEOPLE TWO!*
wheezy waiter tings
This is a clone. Remember, a clone reads from the script,? That's why he had trouble pronouncing the program and fuel names. 😂
Send in the clones!
Hey Joe, just a note on specific impulse. It's not a time, it just simplifies to seconds when you cancel all the units. It's a measure of how much impulse (momentum) the rocket's fluid delivers per unit mass.
Yeah but it helps laymen understand a rocket's comparative performance. The ol' apples to apples while not getting into how some rockets are optimized for sea level or in a vacuum and to use a rocket outside of it's optimal altitude will drastically affect the rocket's designed specific impulse.
(Which is why rocket's destined for space but launched from sea level have 2-3 stages)
12:02 - love the way Joe went from quoting the projected Specific Impulse range of an Orion-type spacecraft to pointing at a launch of the Space Shuttle and a deadpan "four hundred and fifty."
“…That kids, is how you acronym” 😂😂😂☠️
Mars in 45 days deserves a moment of silence to echo. Holy fuck that is an incredibly powerful thought to sit with. The kind of thing only Carl Sagan can put into words.
even if that guy's idea doesnt work out the 100 days from the upcoming engine is still crazy
My mind can't comprehend that number
Covering 55 million kilometres in 45 days is insane to even think about
@@zonnytiger2371 Yes, 100 days to Mars starts making the concept of interplanetary flight look feasible.
@@michaeldunne338 its already feasible but not doable because amount of fuel needed is too much. When they make "compact" fusion for rockets then it gonna be considered. That pulse or other type of nuclear propelled rockets are already considered, and they did the math, but its amount of fuel thats the main problem, and if they push the rocket to very high speeds, stopping them is also a problem.
Love the depth you go to, to present an all-encompassing, detailed and accurate video. Your research (or researcher/s) is on point and could teach some 'news' agencies a LOT, but most of all your delivery is great, solid science with amusing anecdotes and side-tracks that add to the whole. I watch enthralled, thank you ..
I wasn't sure about the new setup/backdrop initially. Not sure why. But I'm converted after watching this.
It looks amazing. Spacious, but mellow. Adds depths to the video. Anyway.
Thanks for all you do, Joe
So nuclear pulsed propulsion is basically like rocket jumping in video games 🚀💥
ya but to sad this isnt nuclear pulse propulsion
No, no, no they use a special kind of cheese in the rocket, you know that haleu cheese the stuff you toast in a frying pan? So you know it's perfect for spacecraft plus as a bonus they get free snacks on their journey through the stars. It's a Win, win right? 👍
@@MrJugNut I am all for it my only problem is cheese & eggs sticking 2 the frying pan , Hmm maybe More grease .😮🧀
@@MrJugNut Tofu..?
well, that is just pulsed explosion propulsion. the smaller cousin of the npp. and that is actually tested and worked, in small scale.
I really do love your channel. A huge thank you to you, and all of your crew. I have a small request. When you reference previous videos, could you please drop a link, in the description? Again, thanks for what you do.
Got to hear DARPA, NASA, Lockheed and Rolls Royce talk about this at the annual Space Symposium today. Super cool concept and the fact that it can shave MONTHS off the flight profile to Mars is insane.
your nasa could not even come up with Re-useable Rockets / now Nuclear rocket? ! suuuuuurely
"Insane". LOL. This isn't even a full thought, just "Wow!" over the bizarre fantasy that Mars will be colonized. The MuskCult is so stupid.
@@Gecmajster123456NASA developed that tech as a proof of concept in the 90's, sweetie. Holy moly the MuskCult is so pathetic & hostile to anything true or real.
@@Gecmajster123456You bots are going to be running out of excuses when it actually happens. This is inevitable tech of the future.
I love that you can still see the classic bookshelf when you turn to the tangent cam. :) Makes me feel like your new setup is just an extension of your old office.
Awesomely done documentary as always btw, keep it up.
This is so interesting. I love learning about stuff like this. Thanks for doing everything that you do.
This is one of your best videos, Joe! Loved the new setting! Much amor from Brazil!
It might be ambitious, but as long as they're willing to move the timeline for the sake of safety then it keeps them working hard on it I think.
Anyone else impressed that this dude could fly an experimental jet airplane wearing that bulky suit?
Someone explain to me how this comment is 11 hours old but, the video is only 17 minutes old.
@@noahpollard9713 I'm guessing channel members get videos earlier
@@noahpollard9713 patreon members can watch videos before they are released to the public
@@noahpollard9713 Joe is always announcing this feature in the end of each video. If you are a channel member, you get early access to the videos besides other benefits :)
Absolutely, imagine how hot he must have been.
Hi Joe! Super cool idea to do this contest of sketches. I like it and it made me watch 2 videos I have not seen before. Way to go!
This is such a great video and topic. I am curious about how the craft would slow down to enter orbit upon arrival. Joe could you please do a video that addresses some of those issues on trajectory, in-flight issues, slow-down etc.?
In 2009 for my capstone project in my Aerospace Engineering bachelor's program we used a Nuclear Thermal Engine in our mission design. They braught a guy in from NASA to evaluate our presentations. When we made our presentation the NASA guy literally laughed in our faces at the suggestion of using a nuclear rocket. After all of these years I am finally vindicated.
The new setup is excellent. Almost like it was always that way. Nice job, Joe!!
FWIW: The first time I ever read about _Project Orion_ was in the book *THE LOST WORLDS OF 2OO1* by Arthur C Clark. That book detailed how the novel version of *2OO1: A SPACE ODYSSEY* came about, and included some information about the movie.
Clarke wanted the _USS Discovery_ to be an Orion-type vehicle, but for various reasons the idea was abandoned for the movie.
Awesome vid. I always come to you for my space travel updates 😁
Ur videos genuinely make me happy, and i know after 10 years , when i will see your videos again...i will say "good old days"
"Dude....I just saw Donkey Kong....and he's a pilot."
Actually, I think diddy kong is the one that flies the plane
@@andrewjustice210 if you want to race in a turboprop sure but Funky Kong is the OG piloting Kong. He always got all the Kongs safely from one area to the next all over the (Donkey Kong) country.
Love the fact that we get to witness stuff like this
Amazing time to be alive
The current level of space age progress pales in comparison to the 50’s, 60’s, and early 70’s, but it’s nice to get back on track.
@jmelande not sure we're getting back on track, personally i think it's just now being made public, and one thing I've started to notice is that whatever is public pales in comparison to what is not.
@@shottfout3348 I’m not so sure. Most of the developments and advancements in technology, transportation, computers, and space travel have their roots in the 50’s-70’s. Many have progressively improved over time, but many have remained stagnant since the 80’s
@@shottfout3348 Nasa is public. The Defense Department is classified.
First off, I gotta say that I love your channel. Awesome stuff. On the topic of space travel, I'm kinda stumped why I've never heard anyone suggest designing a magnetosphere for the ship. I know that it was an impossibility in the past but with the technology emerging today I think it is possible.
It's been a while since I watch your content. Huge improvement with the audio. Nice❤
Are you at all disappointed they didnt go for Modern Iteration Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Applications?
Ah, yes, the nuke goddess
Yes, Minerva not being used is sadness. FAAAr better acronym.
"That's... how you acronym."
Yeah but if that was the case we couldn’t make “my father will hear about this” memes and that would be a huge loss.
MINERVA
To Whit: To Woosh! 🦉
The video quality and production value gains are awesome. New set looks great!
Have you heard of the simi valley nuclear disaster in 1959?
The Santa Susana Field Lab was a nuclear testing site for America’s space exploration programs from 1948 until 2006. In July 1959, it suffered a partial nuclear meltdown. They were testing a plane powered by nuclear rockets.
NERVA _was_ built - on my model rocket stand circa 1973. It came out as a kit, which I bought, assembled and proudly placed next to my Saturn V, Lunar Module and Command/Service Modules in my bedroom.
The NERVA came with the crewed interplanetary Pilgrim Observer vehicle (presumably named by the model company) which had rotating extensions that created artificial gravity (only 1/10th G) and oxygen from a hydroponic garden.
Yeah, I still recall all those specifics. Some kids knew by heart the dimensions of each Kiss member’s guitars, others knew their model rockets.
Thank you Joe this was really interesting and just what I needed to brighten up my last day off before going back to work! !
One other point - the shuttle's ISP was more like 360 at sea level - the engines were most efficient in vacuum, so where the engine is used makes a big difference.
Awesome video Joe!!! Thanks for all the cool info.
Love your videos Joe!
By the way, there is some background hiss, might need to check your setup :)
Loving the new set and upgraded camera allowing the jump cuts!
Great video! Would it be possible to adjust the intensity of the back-lit faux brick to more closely match the intensity of the desk back-lighting? I feel that the desk is perfect on my screen. The faux brick is intense. Love the new setup! Thought I'd offer some notes with it being so fresh 👍
"You saw a plane being flown by bigfoot?"
Ultimate gaslight
"Your ptsd is not service connected"
One of the reasons starship excites me so much is that to eclipse it engineers will have to realize some of these shelved or classified technologies.
First time I've ever seen a Joe Scott vid in its infancy; 4 mins ago. Always excited for new Joe Scott vids! Edit: I've heard some stuff about nuclear powered rockets a lot recently, would be really cool if we got to see advancement in this area!
Good edit! Close kall komrad.
@@derrekvanee4567 🤨
Good episode, informative and not too many weird jokes, thanks.
Pshaw man! There is no such thing as Joe telling to many weird jokes.
I love your shows Joe. I watch them all.
Would you do a segment on MHD propulsion please? I know its considered theoretical but it is a fascinating topic.
Finally the KSP dreams are coming true!
Man this engine has 100 more isp than the nuclear engine in ksp which has 800 isp so its better than the ksp one (also i just realized the ksp one is called nerv.. nerva... huh...)
I had an extra chuckle when you paused, i thought aloud 'thats brilliant' and then you said 'its a brilliant piece of psychology really'.
Was a brilliant piece of psychology, really.
Hey Joe! Love the new set. I do however feel like your camera is a bit out of focus and saturation is a bit low. It gets drastically better after 13:44, but a new problem is introduced instead - the smudged Vaseline look of an AI upscaler. I guess you are still setting things up :)
Hey Joe, I think the best acronym is for
Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst (ACHOO) syndrome.
You definitely need to do a video on this.
I just wanna say I was having a really bad start to my morning and a long 20 hour drive back to Texas and your videos especially this one really brightened up my day. Thank you so much for the years of content you've been producing!
Have a safe trip on the long roads!
why not just fly wherever you are going instead of driving for so long hours potentially endangering other's lives because of your fatigue? American mindset🤦
@@brownerjerry174 financially cost effective. The flight is at least 5X more expensive. And is a little bit more environmentally friendly since the trip to the destination away from Texas included my kids.
@@brownerjerry174 I'd guess it's not the same costs, Conor Davis might also take some joy from the long drive.
If it's not too rude for me to ask, where are you from ? Feels like you might be somewhere in Europe.
Never bad going back to Texas. Just go around the woke cities.
Great video once again Joe. Thanks! Have you ever looked into the viability of a vertical electric launch assist like the ones used on aircraft carriers, but for the rocket?
The first 100m must be the most fuel costly part of the trip. But, using a catapult like system, this could be more efficiently delivered from the much-larger system.
czcams.com/video/RiALARM1xv0/video.html
Ive always been obsessed with this, since I was introduced to rocket & space craft thru military aviation / weapons (navy & USAF).
The concept of cat-obar systems. As wright flyer an others where launched like that, an high altitude to gain speed / energy.
The tech for electrical energy systems has never been in the same sweet spot chemical propellants. Super conductors are probably the limiting factor now. (Besides fusion or fission
So what if we used this on towers or silos? What would we gain? VLS on subs (compared to surface ships) have neumatic / hydraulic assistance to gain critical inertial energy to be fired under water. The thing with navy cat-obar systems is that you have limited distance and can withstand high g launch. A space craft (shuttle for exampe was like 3g iirc)
With a rocket/SC you need to handle the conditions usually increasing mass, ... An on an on. So staging makes sense. The concept of rail launched vehicles are no longer theoretically (impossible). We can use basic neumatic / electromagnetic systems to launch. ( But from the moon or low gravity/ atmosphere/or in vacuum)
I think boring tunnels or sub sea tracks but the biggest issue I've been working at is. How to gain an advantage for rn cost an complexity don't support real invitation. Is getting a track long enough (horizontal) to slowing gain velocity, (not to much as SC are not designed for low supersonic flight. You would hit max q probably before lift of (if you have to pivot vertically )
Star ship is probly the best vehicles to try as the launcher / tower has catobar Esq methodology. An stronger / resilient chassis. I would not see why assistance in any sorts would be used . Hopefully we can see 747 b-1 / c-5 Galaxy/ B-52 b-21 with a rail launched vehicles of sorts.
If you luck up Terran space academy he has plenty of videos going over this concept in detail an many others related to this an much much much more !
@Dizzy Izzie thank you for a long and reasonable response. You touched on a few options that seem reasonable, such as the boring tunnel.
Also, even though the power conversion may not be as effective as chemical, can you address the many other mitigating benefits? Less chemical reactions should (I'm guessing here) is more environmentally friendly and more sustainable. Also, with a long acceleration distance (some mining tunnels are quite deep, such as the Kola Superdeep Borehole that is just over 40,000 feet deep, or over 12 km) so with an acceleration of 3g to achieve escape velocity on Earth (11.2 km/s) it would take 26 seconds to travel 10km. I probably have many things seeing with this evaluation, but this seems reasonable.
I would be highly impressed if the base psychologists kept a straight face while handling the patients complaints of seeing a gorilla in a jet
I actually own a piece of the jet mentioned at the beginning of this video, part of the left side of the fabric on the vertical stabilizer. Love me the P-59A!
In the gorilla suit story, why were the base psychologists more trusted than the base pilots? Isn't a pilot a pretty trusted military position? Seems easier to just have the pilots in on it too.
From someone who spent entirely too much time around them, pilots gossip... Like, heavy gossip. They might not intend it, but their families hear it while they're standing around with a cocktail and gossiping... I'm not saying none can be trusted, I'm just saying... What's the saying? Two people can keep a secret if both of them are dead. It's not untrue.
@@insomniapetals4424 I'd also add that there were probably a lot of pilots but only a few psychologists
Compartmentalization
There's fewer psychologists than pilots on the base, probably. Less people to look out for.
All I can say is I Dream of Jeanie.
I’d be curious if NASA will try incorporate rotating detention into NERVA.
Nothings is burning in NERVA.
How's the splash battle going?
@@slcpunk2740 a lot like rotating detentions. Lol
@@brianbeswick good sport 🤣
Hey there, On the chart you showed for uranium enrichment levels, where do nuclear weapons (trinity test and subsequent run-of-the-mill nukes) fit in? Are they on the HEU end of the spectrum? Thanks!
Dude, since they're used so often in your content, your channel is the reason that I've melded the word 'acronym' into my vocabalarry. Thanks for making me more smarter!
haha what did you think the literation for NASA, NATO or SCUBA or NAVY SEAL was called? You never learned these are all acronyms?
@@raidermaxx2324 What? I couldn't make any sense of what you just said. I know what all of those mean and could someone decipher your "sentence" regardless of the lack of punctuation and interesting choice of capitalization but, what?
I wonder if pulsed nuclear energy can be directed, like a nuclear claymore
Basically the Orion drive
you will need massive EM containment fields perhaps bigger than the ones used to contain plasma in fusion research
Think there was actually research done on nuclear shaped charges.
You are thinking about Casaba-Howitzer project.
With enough lead, anything can be directed
I remember seeing a drawing of a space rocket once that had a guy turning a hand crank which picked up a stick of tnt, lit the fuse, opened a trap door and threw it out, the explosion would propel the craft a few feet before the mechanism threw another sick out of the trap door, and so on
Remove the explosion and you've basically got an ion drive
I believe that was made by Acme.
I honestly think it was a picture from the 1910's-1930's...... I need to look through my late dads book collection
Dude nice! Keep up the video info on DARPA - we need to know every step of the way what they are going to do. In many ways, it's something new, so the more brains the better. Keep the world informed Joe! It is exciting; one of the get into gear with the tv months. Landing a human on Mars just got real!
Sorry, love the show and new set- 6:20 did you just do a Hitchcock zoom pull? Pull zoom? What the heck they call it? Dolly out while zooming in or vice versa. (can they do that in camera now?)
The new studio looks sick! 🤘 Thanks for being awesome!
12:08 Nuclear *Fusion* might/might not be close for power generation on Earth but,
it's got to *always be closer* to propulsion, no?
Surely containing a fusion reaction efficiently and carefully extracting energy out of it *and* getting more net out is *harder*
than "simply" setting of the same reaction and throwing particles out one direction for propulsion, right?
If I had to guess, we will get The Expanse-style propulsion sooner than commercial/economical fusion power (but I'm not doubting commercial fusion power - I'm saying propulsion could be even closer)
My hope is that darpas already halfway there thus the timeline and they've just announced it like they're starting work on it. Fingers crossed 😅
Exciting stuff.. I hope NASA/Darpha can pull this off we have been needing a complete new updated propulsion system like decades ago.
Good to hear they are finally building it rather than all the talk for decades of silence on the original build. Gotta see this work - 45 days would be nice too.
It's a huge game changer. Aside from the radiation exposure for 8 months, and the damage done to the human body due to being weightless, it's 8 months stuck with the same people. Being With some people, even one week, would be six days to long.
Being familiar with the NERVA program I met NASA's announcement with a hearty, "Well DUH!' I've been waiting for them to dust that off. As for ambitious timeline if they were starting from scratch I'd be more skeptical. They have a good base to work from, and with modern computer modelling and manufacturing it might be less hopelessly optimistic than we think. It all comes down to funding; I think if they can throw enough money at it they might be able to do it.
i would have loved seeing you talk about nuclear fission fragment rocket engines too!
you got a subscriber from me buddy loved the episode.
Joe, the old background music is being missed. Please add it to your videos again.
You actually used ‘gaslighting’ correctly! Most people don’t, so good on you!
No he didn't (joke)
@@rlrfproductions haha 😐
@@rlrfproductions lol
@@rlrfproductions Not gonna lie, you got me.
Too true.
I believe my corvette has nuclear pulse propulsion since I have the NPP option, sounds great too.
Actually, the recent breakthrough in fusion tech, is realistically only suited for nuclear pulsed propulsion.
The efficiency would need to be greatly improved, by quite alot, but a fission reactor could drive the lasers or other future more efficient tech to compress the fusion pellets
Rotating detonation engines also interest me a lot. Seems like a lot of major breakthroughs for space travel are on the horizon
SpaceX recently demonstrated a rotating, then detonating rocket ship.
Just imagine how rapid our technological growth will be after AI has had time to develop. AI is set to explode this year and it will be exponential growth year after year.
I love the new studio set up, looks sharp! Content is sharp too, always such interesting topics. Keep up the great work!
I have a few questions.
Is the time needed to safely decelerate factored into these estimates?
What will the object avoidance system at those speeds?
1: Yes, generally transit calculations include both acceleration, cruise and deccelaration in them.
2: Intra-solar travel generally doesn't need any real object avoidance, as intra-solar space has about 10 atoms per cubic metre. If we were going at relativistic speeds, then we'd need an ablative shield or some other device, but these plans generally don't reach any higher than 1-200km/s
II would like to bring up something interesting on the topic of nuclear engines. We (The US) from 1957 to the 1964 had another program similar to NERVA called "Project Pluto'" which focused on the development of in-atmospheric nuclear power engines for military use. Similarly to NERVA, it met major success as well as the development of two nuclear powered ramjet engines which could operate at Mach 3. However the pentagon was concerned that a cruise missile carrying multiple nuclear weapons, flying below radar, bursting eardrums, and coating the area with radiation would be "too provocative." It's a very interesting read if your into these sorts of things there are also a good video by Curious Droid on it.
I saw a gorilla in a top hat piloting a nuclear-powered rocket engine and no one believes me!
I wonder if this will proceed as quickly as the whole SLS project did.
Love the sarcasm!
Slow,
Less
Speed
So slow it will never happen. There is a zero chance that the greens will allow that much nuclear material to be launched. Maybe if China launches it, they don't give a fart what the people think or care about any consequences.
That would depend on Congress.
Got to grease their palms for anything to get done.
Well they did beat starship in getting to space first
I immediately thought of the novel Footfall which had a spaceship using nuclear pulsed propulsion, when I read the title of the video.
The only thing I would change in your new (and improved) studio set is the silver CZcams plaque. The lines created with the larger gold plaque above it, draw your eyes strongly to an implied point in the distance. This becomes a focus distractor, imho. Just remove it. If you want to keep the silver plaque, you could try it under the plant, perhaps? Just a thought. Cheers.
Joe, the Nuclear Therma rocket isn't that new. The NERVA-K program goes back into 1957, but yes they are looking at a new generation.
Having literally just finished binging all of For All Mankind, I love seeing mention of Pathfinder in this episode. And you know the Russians stopped developing their nuclear engine because Margo stopped feeding them specs in our timeline 😂
haha, I agree, that woman is unable to find love without becoming a traitor :P
I would recommend reading To Inhabit the Solar System: using Water in Space by Anthony Zuppero. Also, have a think about rockets that use dissolved fission material that goes critical in the rocket bell.
at 13 mins... this is why i believe we need a stable space platform to refuel and launch secondary craft from. Also for research. since in space thrust may work a little differently then in atmosphere.
A generation of some of our most talented engineers, scientists and machinists dedicated their careers on NERVA (my dad and his co-workers included). They built, tested it, gave it their blood sweat and tears for years. It was canceled for non-technical reasons, purely political at the very end. It was heartbreaking for those involved. I was told there is at least one NERVA engine boxed up at Hanford in working order where it was sent after the program was canceled.
I knew that a manned mission to Mars around 1975 got the ax, but Americas lead in the space race was squandered as well. This has put us 75-100 years behind what could have been.
Rocket running by fuel, it's engine, nuclear space craft it's
engine, is ordinary speed of outer space, qualified outer travel is speed of light, like UFO it's machine, no fuel ,no oil no engine, no nuclear, no combustion light, anything no,,,, that's advance technology,
@@jmen4ever257 there's a reason why certain technology is held back, the government doesn't want a fast evolution of technology in such a short time because it will benefit the public too much. It was canceled for the public sector and private but military took over the project and most likely employ in top secret aircraft
There should be documents lying around what and how they did something right ?. If so then won't will they able build it up to the point where they left before ?
@@somnathroy102 i don't know, everything at the time was very secretive. Most had backgrounds in naval reactors and similar. Employees on programs like Nerva would have not taken anything with them. It's all probably in some Indiana Jones style warehouse.
Could humans even survive half the speed of light travel with project Daedalus?
Humans can survive any speed as long as the acceleration is mild enough. Most plans for rockets that get close to the speed of light call for running the engines for months or even years to slowly build up to that speed at 1g acceleration or less.
@@NavarroRefugee I forgot that it's rapid acceleration that kills and not the actual speed.
@@TheKingofHearts777 As a lot of people put it “it’s not the fall that kills - it’s the sudden stop at the end”.
@@TheKingofHearts777 oh no so hyperdrive will never happen nooo.
Love you videos and the comedy in between!! 😂👏🏻🤔😂👏🏻🤔
Since the date is only 5 years away, do you think they already have been working on it for a while and it’s getting closer to becoming reality so that’s why they are releasing it now. Or is it branddd new.?
Idk much about this sorta stuff but this is very interesting
Joe, you are a beacon of light on a dark night, at sea. Thanks for this.
Happy sailing ⛵️ , Be safe ! From ireland 🇮🇪 .
nothing could go wrong with this idea.
Exactly, I’m glad you understand.
Sometimes earth makes me feel like we unlock every part of the tech tree except FTL. By the time we discover faster than light travel we will have zero point reactors, sentient AI, replicators and hardlight constructs before making it to the next star.
I had to process that idea of nuclear explosion propulsion, and the numbers of half of speed of light. However, imagine a collision with space dust on that speed. Now even taking about some gravel sized rocks, even dust. In sci-fi ships mostly fitted with some sort of energy shields, maybe when we'll finally decide to kick-start ourselves interstellar with nuclear bombs we should invest in energy shields too.