Why do people use rocket fuel instead of nuclear power for spacecraft?
In: Technology
Because nuclear reactors are heavy and you cant use nuclear power the same way as rocket fuel, nuclear power isnt what you think it is, you dont get power straight from a reactor, nuclear poweplants still have to use water to use the nuclear power which creates heat, transforming water into high pressure steam that spins the generator. So if you would go that way you would have to carry some liquid on the rocket that youre gonna vaporize using a nuclear reactor so why not then remove the reactor and use just the liquid fuel that reacts with itself, and not have to eject the expensive nuclear reactor with the first or second stage that will just get destroyed when it falls.
And if you think about setting of nuclear explosions, do i even have to say what a bad idea that would be considering rockets can have failures and can explode over populated areas.
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