More Bounce to the Ounce: The Nuclear Pulse Rocket That Could Conquer Mars
More Bounce to the Ounce – By Maciej Cegłowski
I explore the sensational potential of the nuclear pulse rocket, a concept that solves the trade-off between thrust and efficiency by detonating nuclear bombs behind a giant shock absorber. Unlike chemical rockets, this design could land thousands of tons on Mars or Enceladus in comfort, turning a cartoonish idea into a practical reality for interplanetary travel, despite the terrifying challenges of managing atomic explosions.
The nuclear pulse rocket is what you’d get if you hired a 12 year old to get you to Jupiter.
- woadwarrior01
I think NERVA and its Soviet equivalent RD-0410 were much more practical and plausible. Unlike Orion which was complete vaporware, both these projects reached the ground test prototype stage.
- foobarian
Article briefly talked about delivery, which is tricky to do precisely at best of times, but didn't really mention how to address delivery into a nuclear blast. Hundreds of meters behind the craft about once a second doesn't seem like it would be enough time for the blast to clear so would get in the way of sending a new capsule backward. Anyway I'm sure it's just an implementation detail
- psadri
A version of this idea was mentioned in one of the Three Body Problem books. There, the bombs were pre-positioned along a path and detonated sequentially like dominos, with a vehicle riding the blast waves.
- mayoff
This idea is a significant part of Anathem by Neal Stephenson.
- MarkusQ
> There are some drawbacks to the nuclear bomb rocket.
You don't say.