What Benefits Would This Bring?

Implementing such a technology could allow us to reach the outer planets of our Solar System in mere months. In comparison, traditional rockets would take several years to reach Saturn, and including the return journey, missions could last over a decade.

How Does the NSWR Function?

In the NSWR design, fissile material is dissolved in water as salts like uranium bromide (UBr4). This mixture is stored in multiple containers, each separated by boron layers, which serve as effective neutron absorbers, ensuring that each container remains subcritical. When the rocket is ready for launch, valves open across all containers, allowing the uranium salt solution to flow under pressure into a central tube. This initiates a chain reaction when the solution reaches a certain height, resulting in an explosive transformation into plasma due to nuclear reactions. The plasma is expelled through nozzles, generating thrust comparable to that of chemically powered rockets but with a vastly greater energy output.

I Watched A Rocket Go to Space! - YouTube

This video showcases the excitement of witnessing a rocket launch, highlighting current rocket technologies.

The Potential for Interstellar Travel

If the aforementioned specifications are impressive, the achievable exit velocities are even more remarkable. The NSWR could attain speeds of 60,000 meters per second, while current rockets typically max out at around 4,500 meters per second. While these speeds suffice for Solar System exploration, interstellar travel demands velocities approaching a fraction of the speed of light.

With a potential exit velocity of 1% of the speed of light, a spacecraft powered by this technology could reach speeds of 2% of light speed, enabling a journey to Alpha Centauri in approximately 215 years. Such long voyages would necessitate hibernation for the crew throughout the trip, or at least part of it. If the journey spans multiple generations, there is a reasonable chance the destination would remain unchanged over those years, unlike missions that take thousands of years.

Zubrin advocates that this ambitious goal is achievable using U-235 uranium enriched to 90%. However, the launch process poses significant challenges, as it could lead to serious contamination of our planet. Radioactive emissions would only dissipate once the rocket reaches space, indicating a need for alternative launch methods.

Can Black Hole Collisions Annihilate the Universe?

Recent simulations suggest that collisions between black holes could theoretically obliterate the Universe. Yet, here we are, existing despite these catastrophic events occurring...

Thank you for reading this article! Your appreciation through claps or a follow would be greatly valued. Thank you!