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NUCLEAR-THERMAL PROPULSION [1 record]

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Record 1 2004-11-09

English

Subject field(s)
  • Launchers (Astronautics)
CONT

In nuclear thermal propulsion, a propellant gas is heated as it flows through the core of a nuclear reactor and is then expanded and expelled through a rocket nozzle. The reactor core can be a solid (e.g., uranium carbide particles in a graphite matrix or uranium nitride in a ceramic matrix), liquid, or a gas/plasma. The last two approaches can produce much higher propellant temperatures, resulting in higher specific impulse and greater rocket efficiency.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Lanceurs (Astronautique)
DEF

Mode de propulsion nucléaire dans lequel l'énergie produite sert à porter un agent propulsif à très haute température.

Spanish

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