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nuclear space engine - would it work ??



 
 
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  #1  
Old October 3rd 06, 12:33 AM posted to sci.physics.fusion,sci.space.history,soc.history.what-if,alt.history.what-if
bombardmentforce
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Posts: 16
Default nuclear space engine - would it work ??

David Spain wrote:
Project Orion was a concept study.


And a test program. that lead into the Casaba Howitzer test program,
that was the secret core of Reagan's SDI.

http://spacebombardment.blogspot.com...r-concept.html

It proposed building a space-based
only "rocket" ...It was really only
seriously proposed for use strictly in space. The bombs were to be
released in a series of continuous distinct pulses.



Here's evidence it was seriously proposed for Earth launch, by a
serious player, who later was part of the team behind the World Trade
Center.

http://spacebombardment.blogspot.com...-re-lunar.html

  #2  
Old October 3rd 06, 06:49 AM posted to sci.physics.fusion,sci.space.history,soc.history.what-if,alt.history.what-if
bernardz
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Default nuclear space engine - would it work ??


bombardmentforce wrote:
David Spain wrote:
Project Orion was a concept study.


And a test program. that lead into the Casaba Howitzer test program,
that was the secret core of Reagan's SDI.

http://spacebombardment.blogspot.com...r-concept.html

It proposed building a space-based
only "rocket" ...It was really only
seriously proposed for use strictly in space. The bombs were to be
released in a series of continuous distinct pulses.



Here's evidence it was seriously proposed for Earth launch, by a
serious player, who later was part of the team behind the World Trade
Center.

http://spacebombardment.blogspot.com...-re-lunar.html


An Orion rocket would work but you would not want to launch it from
Earths surface.

  #3  
Old October 3rd 06, 12:41 PM posted to sci.physics.fusion,sci.space.history,soc.history.what-if,alt.history.what-if
Jack Linthicum
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Posts: 290
Default nuclear space engine - would it work ??


Robert Kolker wrote:
bernardz wrote:



An Orion rocket would work but you would not want to launch it from
Earths surface.


Somewhere over N. Korea would be nice.

Bob Kolker


In all seriousness the original idea was to launch it, or at least test
fire it, near the General Atomics HQ in La Jolla. Yes, using a "small"
nuclear device.

  #4  
Old October 3rd 06, 12:49 PM posted to sci.physics.fusion,sci.space.history,soc.history.what-if,alt.history.what-if
bombardmentforce
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Posts: 16
Default nuclear space engine - would it work ??

bernardz wrote:
bombardmentforce wrote:
David Spain wrote:
Project Orion was a concept study.


And a test program. that lead into the Casaba Howitzer test program,
that was the secret core of Reagan's SDI.

http://spacebombardment.blogspot.com...r-concept.html

..It was really only
seriously proposed for use strictly in space. T


Here's evidence it was seriously proposed for Earth launch, by a
serious player, who later was part of the team behind the World Trade
Center.

http://spacebombardment.blogspot.com...-re-lunar.html


An Orion rocket would work but you would not want to launch it from
Earths surface.


I would, the motive, 4 hr ISP.

http://spacebombardment.blogspot.com...1-880-ton.html

Lofted designs can't aspire to the 5 cent / lb efficiency of Dyson's
8,000,000 ton Super-Orion.

I am in favor of large scale space conquest and development, SRBs won't
do.

  #5  
Old October 3rd 06, 01:04 PM posted to sci.physics.fusion,sci.space.history,soc.history.what-if,alt.history.what-if
Robert Kolker
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Posts: 83
Default nuclear space engine - would it work ??

bernardz wrote:



An Orion rocket would work but you would not want to launch it from
Earths surface.


Somewhere over N. Korea would be nice.

Bob Kolker
  #6  
Old October 3rd 06, 02:25 PM posted to sci.physics.fusion,sci.space.history,soc.history.what-if,alt.history.what-if
Robert Kolker
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Posts: 83
Default nuclear space engine - would it work ??

bombardmentforce wrote:


I would, the motive, 4 hr ISP.

http://spacebombardment.blogspot.com...1-880-ton.html

Lofted designs can't aspire to the 5 cent / lb efficiency of Dyson's
8,000,000 ton Super-Orion.

I am in favor of large scale space conquest and development, SRBs won't
do.


They surely will not. But I think your optimism is beyond your reason.

If the earth were going to be hit by a large asteroid or comet in ten
years it might be worthwhile to try to save a few souls from the
extinction. Other than that, it is a waste of time and money.

Bob Kolker
  #7  
Old October 3rd 06, 10:16 PM posted to sci.physics.fusion,sci.space.history,soc.history.what-if,alt.history.what-if
Jonathan Silverlight[_1_]
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Posts: 298
Default nuclear space engine - would it work ??

In message , Robert Kolker
writes
bombardmentforce wrote:

I would, the motive, 4 hr ISP.

http://spacebombardment.blogspot.com...-in-detail-1-8
80-ton.html
Lofted designs can't aspire to the 5 cent / lb efficiency of Dyson's
8,000,000 ton Super-Orion.
I am in favor of large scale space conquest and development, SRBs
won't
do.


They surely will not. But I think your optimism is beyond your reason.

If the earth were going to be hit by a large asteroid or comet in ten
years it might be worthwhile to try to save a few souls from the
extinction. Other than that, it is a waste of time and money.


Isn't that the most likely reason for building Orion? Others are what
Arthur Clarke calls "a space equivalent of the Berlin Airlift", or the
battleship in Niven/Pournelle's "Footfall".
When you don't have time to play around with shuttle-size payloads, or
you won't be allowed more than one launch. Or when it doesn't matter
what happens to the launch site.
  #8  
Old October 4th 06, 12:11 AM posted to sci.physics.fusion,sci.space.history,soc.history.what-if,alt.history.what-if
Henry Spencer
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Posts: 2,170
Default nuclear space engine - would it work ??

In article ,
Jonathan Silverlight wrote:
Isn't that the most likely reason for building Orion? ...
When you don't have time to play around with shuttle-size payloads, or
you won't be allowed more than one launch. Or when it doesn't matter
what happens to the launch site.


And when you don't care about some rather nasty air pollution. (Unless
you assumed hypothetical fission-free bombs -- which figured heavily into
most of the optimistic predictions about Orion -- Orion's fallout output
was up at the level that made people reading the reports say "urk!" even
in the days of routine atmospheric H-bomb testing.)
--
spsystems.net is temporarily off the air; | Henry Spencer
mail to henry at zoo.utoronto.ca instead. |
  #9  
Old October 4th 06, 12:53 AM posted to sci.physics.fusion,sci.space.history,soc.history.what-if,alt.history.what-if
bombardmentforce
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16
Default nuclear space engine - would it work ??

Robert Kolker wrote:
bombardmentforce wrote:


I would, the motive, 4 hr ISP.

http://spacebombardment.blogspot.com...1-880-ton.html

Lofted designs can't aspire to the 5 cent / lb efficiency of Dyson's
8,000,000 ton Super-Orion.

I am in favor of large scale space conquest and development, SRBs won't
do.


They surely will not....


... (if) large asteroid or comet ...worthwhile .... ...
...(otherwise) waste of time and money.


An investment of money in Real Estate, as you hint your current options
are undiversified at the planetary level. This leads to excessive
accumulating portfolio risk if you consider the long term future of you
investments in churches, foundations and families.

The local ore is also getting played out.

http://spacebombardment.blogspot.com...m1-mining.html

  #10  
Old October 4th 06, 12:55 AM posted to sci.physics.fusion,sci.space.history,soc.history.what-if,alt.history.what-if
bombardmentforce
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16
Default nuclear space engine - would it work ??

Jack Linthicum wrote:
Robert Kolker wrote:
bernardz wrote:



An Orion rocket would work but you would not want to launch it from
Earths surface.


Somewhere over N. Korea would be nice.

Bob Kolker


In all seriousness the original idea was to launch it, or at least test
fire it, near the General Atomics HQ in La Jolla. Yes, using a "small"
nuclear device.


Here's map of the Nerva test site, visted by Dyson as they evaluated
test options.


http://spacebombardment.blogspot.com...mage-zone.html

 




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