The newly developed concept uses liquid uranium to heat rocket propellant.
Engineers from Ohio State University are developing a new way to power rocket engines, using liquid uranium for a faster, more efficient form of nuclear propulsion that could deliver round trips to Mars within a single year.
NASA and its private partners have their eyes set on the Moon and Mars, aiming to establish a regular human presence on distant celestial bodies. The future of space travel depends on building rocket engines that can propel vehicles farther into space and do it faster. Nuclear thermal propulsion is currently at the forefront of new engine technologies aiming to significantly reduce travel time while allowing for heavier payloads.Traveling faster than before
Nuclear propulsion uses a nuclear reactor to heat a liquid propellant to extremely high temperatures, turning it into a gas that’s expelled through a nozzle and used to generate thrust.
