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A thermal rocket is a rocket engine that uses a propellant that is externally heated before being passed through a nozzle to produce thrust, as opposed to being internally heated by a redox reaction as in a chemical rocket.
A nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) is a type of thermal rocket where the heat from a nuclear reaction replaces the chemical energy of the propellants in a chemical rocket. In an NTR, a working fluid , usually liquid hydrogen , is heated to a high temperature in a nuclear reactor and then expands through a rocket nozzle to create thrust .
Nuclear thermal rockets use the heat of nuclear fission to add energy to the propellant. Some designs separate the nuclear fuel and working fluid, minimizing the potential for radioactive contamination, but nuclear fuel loss was a persistent problem during real-world testing programs.
Thermal rockets use an inert propellant, heated by electricity (electrothermal propulsion) or a nuclear reactor (nuclear thermal rocket). Chemical rockets are powered by exothermic reduction-oxidation chemical reactions of the propellant: Solid-fuel rockets (or solid-propellant rockets or motors) are chemical rockets which use propellant in a ...
Bimodal Nuclear Thermal Rocket could significantly reduce radiation exposure and other major risks associated with interplanetary travel
The nuclear salt-water rocket (NSWR) is a theoretical type of nuclear thermal rocket designed by Robert Zubrin. [1] In place of traditional chemical propellant, such as that in a chemical rocket, the rocket would be fueled by salts of plutonium or 20-percent-enriched uranium.
NASA will test a nuclear-powered rocket for space travel. The technology could speed up a manned trip to Mars from the current seven-month minimum to 45 days.
Pulsed nuclear thermal rocket unit cell concept for I sp amplification. In this cell, hydrogen-propellant is heated by the continuous intense neutronic pulses in the propellant channels. At the same time, the unwanted energy from the fission fragments is removed by a solitary cooling channel with lithium or other liquid metal.