Project "Orion": Powered by an Atomic Bomb Machine Gun
 

"QUANTUM SHOT" #485
Link - article by Avi Abrams


The Ultimate 1950s Space Technology, which almost made it to Saturn

Obviously, "almost" is a key word here, but apparently NASA still has "small secret contingency plan division" which is dedicated to preserving "Orion" nuclear propulsion technology - and reviving it in case of a killer asteroid threat.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/abramsv/SO_93Lb...g-earth-1l.jpg
(image credit: Adrian Mann)

So what exactly is this "Project Orion" - the most radical propulsion technology for kick-ass space missions? No, it's not the NASA's future space capsule ("Apollo-on-steroids", some may say) - but a proposed colossal nuclear-bomb-powered rocket from 1958:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/abramsv/SO_95MX...6uryjgykhj.jpg
(images by Rhys Taylor, see the full animation of "Orion" launch here)


Nuclear Propulsion: Getting More Miles Per Gallon

... or rather, giving you maximum payload per launch:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/abramsv/SO_9yXO...yerhfgnvbn.jpg
http://lh6.ggpht.com/abramsv/SO_90Cx...5yerhfgjgh.jpg
(image credit: NASA)

The ultimate BIG technology, conceived in the 1950s to go to Saturn, Jupiter, and beyond... was powered by a row upon row of controlled, directed nuclear blasts....

http://lh5.ggpht.com/abramsv/SO_9yze...tfrgjghkhj.jpg
(Collection of George Dyson)

Here is a hugely entertaining talk video by George Dyson about the development and the current state of Project Orion:

more.......

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2008...omic-bomb.html