Kimmo Huosionmaa
When we are thinking about nuclear thermal rocket propulsion and Mars-flights, we are facing the solution called "Orion". This nuclear-powered rocket could travel interplanetary routes by using small nuclear bombs for giving thrust to those devices. The idea is that neutron bombs would be fired behind that spacecraft, and that would give it extremely high speed because the radioactive particles would push spacecraft forward.
One of the ideas is to use machine-gun, what is loaded with bullets, what are made by using the highly enriched radioactive material, and they would shoot thru the electric arc, what would cause fission in that ammunition, what would give thrust to that thing. But the problem is to create the electricity for that spacecraft. Spacecraft would always need also electricity for its systems.
That's why the main engine solution for that journey was chosen NERVA (Nuclear Energy Rocket Vehicle Application), what is like a normal rocket, but it is nuclear reactor inside. The NERVA solution deletes the dead weight and the nuclear power would give also thrust for braking. In this situation, the nuclear rocket would turn to give thrust to forward, and this brake the spacecraft. The most modern version of the spacecraft, what would be used to travel other planets is the hybrid system.
The nuclear reactor, what uses the closed-cycle cooling system would give the needed electricity for the electric systems of the spacecraft. And also at the beginning of the journey can be used the same methodology with "Orion". In the back of the Interplanetary spacecraft would be installed the plate, and the nuclear bomb would send this spacecraft in the very high speed.
And then the system would transfer to use NERVA or WARP-system, what could give extremely high speed for spacecraft. WARP is actually the particle accelerator, what is connected to the spacecraft, and what sucks ions from the space thru it. There is a theory, that this kind of device could someday break the cosmic speed limit. Traveling faster than light is basically a very simple thing. The spacecraft would accelerate to the speed of light and inside it, something would be accelerate to higher speed.
In some theories, this kind of thing would be the magnetic rail, what would accelerate some particles to the 20% of the speed of light, and it would be launched when spacecraft will travel precisely the speed of light. This thing would make by installing the particle accelerator in the spacecraft, what uses WARP, and the accelerator would shoot the atoms forward when the speed of the spacecraft would be high enough. Sometimes has been discussed the opportunity to use electromagnetic radiation for the breaking the light wall. The thing, what makes electromagnetic radiation so fascinating is that there is no thrust and that thing would not need any ions, what would give retard for the spaceship. This kind of spacecraft is still at the theoretical level, but maybe they are someday in use and travel to other planets.
The thing, what makes this kind of electromagnetic devices more interesting, than NERVA, is that they don't need the different propellant for giving thrust, and this means that the system would be lighter. But as we know the interplanetary travel is extremely difficult. The WARP-craft would give solution for traveling in our own solar system. But that system needs very strong magnets to work properly, and that means that the only thing, what is needed is a nuclear reactor.
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