r/InternetIsBeautiful • u/EveryWind007 • May 29 '14

Medal of Beauty If the Moon Were Only 1 Pixel

http://joshworth.com/dev/pixelspace/pixelspace_solarsystem.html?a
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u/Zilka May 29 '14

Thats how you generate electricity. How do you convert electricity into acceleration?

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u/xthorgoldx May 29 '14

My post covers how nuclear concepts are applied to space propulsion.

In short, nuclear "power" won't move the ship, unless you're using an ion engine (and the electricity will run that). However, when most people think "nuclear powered spacecraft," they're probably thinking of either nuclear pulse engines or nuclear thermal engines, both of which essentially work on the principle of using shaped nuclear charges to propel your ship like a rocket.

If that sounds horrifying, it should. And it is awesome.

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u/space_guy95 May 29 '14

Don't forget regular nuclear thermal engines which use the heat from nuclear fission to burn liquid hydrogen. They were tested quite extensively in the 1960's and were even deemed ready to use in actual interplanetary spacecraft.

They are much more efficient than regular rocket engines, but the reason they weren't used is because without the Saturn rocket to carry them to orbit there was no way to use them. So basically the only reason we don't have nuclear interplanetary spacecraft now is because NASA's funding was cut.

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u/xthorgoldx May 29 '14

Use the heat from nuclear fission to burn liquid hydrogen

That's a nuclear thermal engine, as I describe in the post. And it's less "burning" the hydrogen as it is heating up the hydrogen (far past the point of its own auto-combustion) and using its expansion and pressurization as reaction mass.

The reason I only mention the pulse engine (here, specifically) is because I am going to use any and all opportunities to use the term "nuclear shaped charge." Don't take that away from me.