British Project Orion

Freeman Dyson was originally from England.

In the 1940s & 1950s, Britain was a nuclear and aerospace pioneer.

So how do you make this happen?
 
Closer links with either the Commonwealth or Europe.

A joint space programme is set up with either (or both?) of the aforementioned groups with Britain leading (probable in the 40's and 50's)...

Now just to get Dyson's ideas accepted...
 

Thande

Donor
Is this thread specifically to annoy Susano? :D

Orion would have been a hefty investment even for the US or USSR, and most of its value would have been in propaganda. I don't see Britain going for it, even if the whole Empire was united, or Western Europe.

Although the Australians did seem to go through a period in the 1950s of wanting to use atom bombs for absolutely everything...
 
That was a British Interplanetary Society (BIS) concept. In the 70s. Using technology that hadn't yet been invented yet but that was considered possible, to try and work how to develop an *interstellar* spaceship. The idea was to mine Jupiter or its moons for Deuterium and use fusion. Not really a practical idea, yet, or probably for some centuries, even if the whole world backed it.

Project Orion, the Dyson version, does seem possible, with enough government money.

How about this idea: France joins Commonwealth in 1950s, and eventually moving to a merger with the UK. No French nuclear program - just a combined UK/French program. No Force de Frappe. No Concorde. But yes an Anglo-French Orion !?! (what name?)
 
...

How about this idea: France joins Commonwealth in 1950s, and eventually moving to a merger with the UK. No French nuclear program - just a combined UK/French program. No Force de Frappe. No Concorde. But yes an Anglo-French Orion !?! (what name?)

l'Orion. :D
 
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