/sci/ - Science & Math

>>4642737
And who can forget NERVA?

A US proposal for a nuclear thermal rocket to regularly propel cargoes to and from Lunar orbit.

Mission profile was roughly as follows:
>NERVA "shuttle" lofted into low Earth orbit where it sits until needed
>Craft or cargoes dock with NERVA "shuttle" and it then carries said cargo out of Earth's gravity, through cis Lunar space, and into Lunar orbit where it is then either re-fuelled for a return trip or "parked"
>After a life of approximately 30 missions, the NERVA shuttles are fueled one more time to act as high velocity boosters for launching probes to the outer system, missions to Mars, or cargo on one-way trips to Mars.
>Spent or retired NERVA boosters could also be cannibalized for their reactors to be used in Lunar or Martian colonies, nuclear electric rockets, or space stations.