Could you propel a spaceship at high speeds using atomic charges?

Question

Like you launch a small nucluear charge out of the stern of the ship and it detonates, and the enormous force propels the ship forward even faster? Then you had thrusters to keep it on course, but the bombs would provide the motive power! Would it work? Would it be faster than conventional rockets? If I built one of these ships, would YOU ride in it?

In space's vaccum, wouldn't the bomb do more to propel the ship, verses blowing it up like it would on earth? (assuming the stern of the ship was specially designed, of course!)

Answer 1

I'd be weary if you built the ship, but the consept sounds sound(alliteration there)

Said ship would have to travle on the repercussion waves of the bomb as there is nothing in space too push against.

However, this would NOT work for takoff, I think you can figure that one out.

Answer 2

Yes you can and it was almost done in the 1950's and 60's. A great deal of theoretical work and some practical concept testing was done to launch a huge "spacecraft" from earth using a series of atomic bombs. The program was called Project Orion and had many highly respected physicist s interested. Even Werner Van Braun, head of NASA's rocketry program believed it was feasible, after seeing some test footage films.
The project was abandoned when a Nuclear Non proliferation treaty was signed, banning atmospheric atomic explosions.
Project scientists thought they had the main problems (guidance and pusher plate design and survivability and bomb delivery and ignition) mostly solved.
For a quick and fascinating description see John McPhee's story, The Curve of Binding Energy. The story is about different atom bomb work but gives enough detail on the Orion Project to get you started.
For more detail see George Dyson's book, Project Orion: The True Story of the Atomic Space ship.

Answer 3

I don't know about atomic charges but hydrogen a good fuel usually used in rockets and that can propel you at high speed using the right amount but the power your on about would probably fry the astronauts on board the ship as an atomic charge for the first split second it goes off the temperatures can be of those the centre of the sun produces so it would work but you'd die doin it.

Answer 4

To shorty answer your question, the answer is no.

Here are the reasons.

A) The tree huggers have made it extremely difficult to get nuclear energy of any sorts off the ground

B) You are talking about a propulsion using the pressure waves from an explosion, regardless of source be it nuclear or dynamite. There is no medium in space for the pressure to travel through, so all that could propel you would be the debris flying into your craft at high speeds.

Answer 5

Forget it. Even the smallest practical nuclear explosion is equivalent to kilotons of dynamite. It would obliterate the spacecraft on the first shot, and produce dangerous radioactive debris.

There has long been research on the use of a nuclear reactor to provide rocket thrust by heating a reaction medium, but the practical issues have so far seemed insurmountable.

For some basic information, try an internet search on "project rover."

Answer 6

Such a plan is doomed to failure by virtue of the instantaneous blast force of a nuclear explosion...
It would blow the tail right off of the rocket ship and
most likely blow up the ship, also, in the process.
The occupants would be sitting extremely close to a nuclear explosion and be subject to intense radiation and heat blast.
So, they would be dead in a flash.

Please come up with a better idea. It would be nice if the space ship occupants lived.

Answer 7

A sci fi writer wrote a story about this (I think it was Larry Niven). They had to get a spaceship up fast on a suicide mission so they used a number of small atomic explosions under the ship to get it into orbit.

He always has strong scientific backing for such ideas.

Answer 8

Sure it is. It was one of several designs the government looked at in the 1950's. The first Nuclear Test Ban Treaty signed during JFK's adninistration prohibited nukes in outer space, so they had to drop some very promising research.

Answer 9

Yes, it could work. Such designs have been drawn up and I even heard that a small test model actually flew using regular dynamite in place of the nuclear bombs.

Answer 10

You're talking about ol' boom boom... the Orion project. It was postulated in the mid-to-late 50's as a possible propulsion source.

And, NO, I don't think I'd want a ride in it... read "Footfall", by Larry Niven - he describes a use for such a craft.