Nuclear powered airliners

Alex Terrell wrote:
Perhaps airports should be equipped with electromagnetic launchers,
that could launch a hydrogen powered aircraft.


And the passengers would be subjected to a "nice" acceleration of about 5-25
G...

So anybody with even a hint of aneurism or cardiovascular problems would die
on that trip.

That's really nice.







Marko



PS. Alternative would be really long electromagnetic rails - on the order of
several kilometres - but the question is could that be paid off during the
exploitation.

Air & Space Smithsoina did an article some years back on a US project
Pluto, a nuclear powered cruise missile that was designed to be as
simple as possible, in that it was ingesting air, heating it direct in
an unsheilded pile, and ejecting the expanded exhaust, along with
particles of radwaste. It didn't need a warhead: it could just fly over
the enemy country polluting it with radwaste from the sky until it got
blown up. I seem to recall the project died because there was no safe
way to test it over American soil, and testing it anywhere else was
practically a declaration of war.

"D. Orbitt" wrote in message
ups.com...
Air & Space Smithsoina did an article some years back on a US project
Pluto, a nuclear powered cruise missile that was designed to be as
simple as possible, in that it was ingesting air, heating it direct in
an unsheilded pile, and ejecting the expanded exhaust, along with
particles of radwaste. It didn't need a warhead: it could just fly over
the enemy country polluting it with radwaste from the sky until it got
blown up.

Not quite. It was quite clearly designed as a bomb carrier.

It was only after the bombs dropped that they thought it could be used to do
what you say. (which isn't really effective as a weapon of war, but really
only one of terrorism.

I seem to recall the project died because there was no safe
way to test it over American soil, and testing it anywhere else was
practically a declaration of war.

Not quite. The intent was to test it over the ocean and sink it afterwards.

But cooler heads prevailed.

"D. Orbitt" wrote in message
ups.com...

Pluto, a nuclear powered cruise missile

I seem to recall the project died because there was no safe
way to test it over American soil, and testing it anywhere else was
practically a declaration of war.

This is reminding me of the Space: 1999 episode where Earth had dispatched a
space probe propelled by the new "Queller Drive" which used fast neutrons.
It was followed back by angry aliens who wanted justice for our attempt at
genocide.

--


Regards,
Mike Combs
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Member of the National Non-sequitur Society. We may not make
much sense, but we do like pizza.

Mike Combs wrote:

"D. Orbitt" wrote in message
oups.com...

Pluto, a nuclear powered cruise missile




http://www.merkle.com/pluto/pluto.html
http://www.vought.com/heritage/products/html/slam.html

Pat