Abstract

Nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) systems have been studied in both the USA and the former Soviet Union since the 1950s for use in space science and exploration missions. NTP uses nuclear fission to heat hydrogen to very high temperatures in a short amount of time so that the hydrogen can provide thrust as it accelerates through an engine nozzle. Benefits of NTP systems compared to conventional chemical and solar electric powered propulsion systems include higher fuel efficiency, greater mission range, shorter transit times, and a greater ability to abort missions and return to Earth in the event of system failure. As a result of these benefits, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is evaluating NTP for use in crewed missions to Mars, and plans for a possible mid-2020s flight demonstration of a NTP engine are under development. The extremely harsh conditions that NTP systems must operate in present a number of significant engine design and operational challenges. The objective of this chapter will be to describe the history of NTP material development, describe current NTP material fabrication and design practices, and discuss possible future advances in space propulsion material technologies.

Highlights

  • The dream of one day expanding humanity’s presence into the solar system will require advanced propulsion systems that provide high levels of thrust and efficient use of fuels

  • The complex fuel designs used in the early Rover/Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application (NERVA) tests were challenged by the mechanical loads, thermal stresses, and high radiation fields found in Nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) reactors

  • The GE-710 [8] high-temperature gas reactor (HTGR) and the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) nuclear rocket engine programs [9] focused on development of ceramic-metal fuels consisting of uranium ceramic material embedded in a refractory metal matrix

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Summary

Introduction

The dream of one day expanding humanity’s presence into the solar system will require advanced propulsion systems that provide high levels of thrust and efficient use of fuels. Many of the missions that will one day be of interest to human explorers will require travel to locations that are far away from the sun, so dependence on solar power will not be an option, and prepositioning enough chemical propellant to allow freedom of movement and the ability to return to Earth will be too expensive. Uranium oxide (UO2), uranium nitride (UN), uranium carbide (UC and UC2), and uranium oxycarbide (UCO) are ceramic materials that have been studied by various space reactor technology development activities. Each of these materials has advantages and disadvantages related to use in space reactors, but they are all capable of achieving the extremely high temperatures that will be needed to move humans and equipment from Earth to other parts of the solar system

Fundamentals of rocket propulsion
Rover/NERVA
GE-710 high-temperature gas reactor research and development program
Argonne national laboratory nuclear rocket engine research and development program
Space Nuclear Thermal Propulsion research and development program
Carbon-based fuels and materials
Findings
Future work

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