Astronomy / Space New Nuclear Propulsion Technology!

[Hal Ekos]

Hello!

Boeing just did it! Nuclear propulsion in an efficient and powerful way!

Please take a look, it's like ED's propulsion technology being discovered!

http://www.sciencealert.com/boeing-just-patented-a-jet-engine-powered-by-lasers-and-nuclear-explosions?utm_source=Article&utm_medium=Website&utm_campaign=InArticleReadMore

Yes it's real!

 

[Zieman]

Nice.

Small correction: the patent is real, technology to actually build the engine for testing doesn't exist yet.

 

[Hal Ekos]

Nice.

Small correction: the patent is real, technology to actually build the engine for testing doesn't exist yet.

I think you are right. I was searching for concrete examples and I found this: http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/energy/nuclear/boeing-patents-laser-nuclear-fusion-jet-engine

At the end of this article, they say that an experimental plane reactor worked with nuclear energy (with more than 5 tons of thrust!), however it does not use the same concept. It's a nuclear reactor being air-cooled

by plane engines. Seemed to work, but wouldn't work in space...

 

[Surfinjo]

Did someone say Crash?

 

[Varrag]

Boeing patented this? I thought that the Project Daedalus from the `70s was based on same principle...