Nuclear Powered Propulsion Technology Needs to be a Part of the Near-Term Future

The ongoing boiling-down of recommendations for the future of space systems is underway in Washington and President Barack Obama and the Congress will have the final say in what is proposed and actually funded but one option seems to be silent among those doing the policy review: Nuclear Powered Propulsion Technology.

As we debate the 'Dash Out of Orbit Option' or the need for an Orbital Fuel Station, there is also a serious need to review a new and bold propulsion system that will be the 'ultimate game changer' for human exploration throughout the solar system. On-orbit nuclear thermal propulsion is a significant option.

NASA's 2003 Project Prometheus would have advanced the notion of nuclear reactions that are one million times more powerful than the breaking of chemical bonds which fuel current missions. The advantages for spaceflight applications with such a compact source of energy are impossible to predict in the long run. Faster, longer burns during deep space journeys would vastly increase mission parameters far beyond the dreams of chemical rocketeers.

Former NASA astronaut Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, a veteran of seven space shuttle flights, is working on the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) at the Ad Astra Rocket Company. Dr. Chang-Diaz explains his new propulsion system in this video. A recent report from New Scientist tells more including how the new propulsion system will be used on the International Space Station in 2012 or 2013. Ultimately, the new propulsion system will need a space-based nuclear reactor to achieve the speeds desired for deep space missions. See the new book 'The Nuclear Rocket.'