Could NERVA succeed?

If the NERVA nuclear rocket project had been given sufficient support, could the nuclear thermal rocket become a viable launch vehicle?
 

Thande

Donor
Almost definitely. But there is the potential for accidents that could lead to public paranoia and a loss of development. Unless perhaps the Soviets manage to pull it off as well and it becomes competitive.
 
It WAS successful. Realistically the test units were ready to fly...

The two big problems are that there was enough radiation release that you don't really want to use this as a launch vehicle (which was never the intended purpose in any case... the actual NERVA program was directed at replacing the J-2 in the S-IVB stage). The other is the question of what happens during a launch failure... I don't believe they ever got to the point of trying to make the reactor safe to launch, but that is as far as I can tell a non trivial task (and the only way we could make it politically viable nowaday even more so).
 
It could have worked given enough backing but with the growth of the environmental movement in the late 1960's the political will to support it evaporated.

There was also the quite significant risk of a nuclear rocket suffering a catastrophic failure during launch causing severe contamination of the surrounding area. Even when you got into orbit you still had potential for a pretty horrific accident. Stephen Baxter's Voyage features a NERVA booster being developed to support a manned Mars mission and lets say things don't quite go to plan.
 
What about liquid- and gas-core nuclear reactor engines

Utterly insane. The engineering specs on the things would be unbelievable, and even if you could work that out, politically they'd never fly (sorry).

Bureaucromancer said:
The two big problems are that there was enough radiation release that you don't really want to use this as a launch vehicle (which was never the intended purpose in any case... the actual NERVA program was directed at replacing the J-2 in the S-IVB stage).

Even the S-IVB fires at a low enough altitude (in the initial burn, and even in the TLI burn) that it could be problematic. When you have people (admittedly, few people) protesting things like Cassini and Galileo for their risk of radiation release, what do you think will happen if NASA decides to fly entire nuclear reactors?
 
NERVA as a launch system will never happen. But if we observe that an asteroid will be hitting us in ten years, you can bet there will be NERVA or other nuclear thermal rockets built in orbit pretty fast. The shuttles will probably be put back in service. France will build Arianes and Russia will crank out all it can.

Of course you can expect there will be asteroid impact denialists who say it's all a scam to enslave us to a one world government. I would hope that if they get too out of hand the more sensible nations of the world will construct nice prison camps for them.
 
NERVA was always an issue as a launch vehicle.

But the other proposed ue was as the main engine in an interplanetary mission (ie not fired till in orbit). This would have menat way greater performance, and no pollution issues (the core could be loaded in orbit, so an over-seas launch is pretty safe)

However they kept trying to make it reusable...which was pretty much impossible with teh available tech. If they had treated it as displosable, like a chemiacal rocket, it would have worke dfine, they already had a prototype working in that mode
 
the NERVA engine was ready for it first space flight RIFT (Reactor In Flight Test)
but the Program was canceld in 1972 after NASA lost against politics of Capitol Hill

original 1960 plan for RIFT was suborbital launch of NERVA as second stage of a Saturn IB
after flight the NERVA stage impact in Atlantic
1963 it was change for Saturn V test flight with Dummy second stage
rift2.jpg

finaly it appointed to Orbital Test with Saturn V INT-21 some time in 1970s

Use NERVA for wat ?!
it was for improvement for payload to Moon
a Saturn V launch 100,000 pounds (45,000 kg) to Moon
replace S-IVb with S-IVb-N and
a Saturn V launch 130,000 pounds (58,967 kg) to Moon
or launch a small Space Station with Apollo CSM for a Venus Fly-by

1969 with Integrated Manned Programme (NASAs ultimate Post-Apollo plan)
NERVA play heavy role as Engine for re-usable Nuclear Shuttle
wat bring Payloads From Space Base to GEO Station or Luna orbital Station
or launch Mars manned expedition
PhaseB.jpg


but all the high-handed plans died in 1969-1973 with Nixon undecidedness on a Future Space Program
NASA Administrator Paine impatiently "i want Integrated Manned Programme, Now more than ever." attitude made things worst.
Paine left NASA after murder the Saturn V production and Apollo Program on long therm.
Vice President Spiro Agnew (Mars manned expedition advocate) resign the office because groundless suspicion about Tax evasion
in the end Nixon chooses only the Space Shuttle...
 
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