Why can’t we build nuclear powered rockets in order to reach the moon or mars and the beyond?
We have nuclear powered subs, aircraft carriers etc.
I read the US tried in the early years of the Cold War but cancelled the program.
What gives?
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We can and have. Nuclear power has been used in space.
It has some huge drawbacks tho. It’s just big and heavy and produces a ton of heat that’s hard to get rid of. Solar is often better.
If you are asking about the rocket engine itself being nuclear, there are a host more issues. It is still big and heavy, and has much lower thrust than a chemical rocket, but much lower efficiency than electric rockets, so it occupies an awkward middle ground. Add to that the risks of trying to keep a running nuclear reactor at high power output in space, keeping it all tiny and light, and you’ve got yourself a bad combo.
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