☢️ Good news

[AtW]

“ UK nuclear spacecraft could halve time of journey to Mars
Rolls-Royce and UK Space Agency hope to ‘revolutionise space travel’ with deal to build nuclear propulsion engines

British spacecraft could travel to Mars in half the time it now takes by using nuclear propulsion engines built by Rolls-Royce under a new deal with the UK Space Agency.

The aerospace company hopes nuclear-powered engines could help astronauts make it to Mars in three to four months, twice as fast as the most powerful chemical engines, and unlock deeper space exploration in the decades to come.

The partnership between Rolls-Royce and the UK Space Agency will bring together planetary scientists to explore how nuclear energy could be used to “revolutionise space travel”, according to the government.“

UK nuclear spacecraft could halve time of journey to Mars | Rolls-Royce | The Guardian

Nukes, in space! the best way to hit any site from orbit, self-destruction not included!

[jamesbrown]

They're going to need to circumnavigate MF first, which could double the journey time, so roughly the same then.

[Lance]

Just one problem with nuclear rockets. You still need propellant.
With a chemical rocket the fuel is the propellant. Once the propellant is exhausted you have no more delta-v.

[NotAllThere]

Just one problem with nuclear rockets. You still need propellant.
With a chemical rocket the fuel is the propellant. Once the propellant is exhausted you have no more delta-v.

According to this Nuclear propulsion, which would involve channelling the immense energy released in splitting the atom to accelerate propellants, like hydrogen, at huge speeds, has the potential to revolutionise space travel.

So yes, it's still using propellant, but it's been chucked out at higher speed.

[darmstadt]

Will they use them to launch the UK's new GPS satellites?

My old employer: ESA - Nuclear powered rockets

NASA: Full Page Reload

[AtW]

Mods - time to ban darmy for doxxing, himself this time - he is totally out of control!

[Eirikur]

Just one problem with nuclear rockets. You still need propellant.
With a chemical rocket the fuel is the propellant. Once the propellant is exhausted you have no more delta-v.

And you can't break, more propellant is needed to accelerate and slow down, so more mass must be transported , bigger rockets etc

[ladymuck]

Puts me in mind of this:

[Hobosapien]

Seeing as space isn't a void they 'just' need to work out how to make a jet work using whatever matter space is made from. Propulsion is merely chucking things out of the back.

[Paralytic]

Puts me in mind of this:

Thanks, most likely the most interesting thing I'll see today by far. Now, back to work