An alternative technology to the chemically propelled rockets the agency develops now is called nuclear thermal propulsion, which uses nuclear fission and could one day power a rocket that makes ...

Theoretically, Sunbird's tremendous speeds could cut mission times to Mars in half, from seven to eight months to about four.

Nuclear thermal propulsion, or NTP, is a potentially game-changing technology for NASA's crewed missions to Mars in the 2040 timeframe. NTP engines use a nuclear reactor to heat hydrogen to ultra ...

If the rocket ever becomes operational, it could one day cut the journey time of a potential mission to Mars in half. Nuclear fusion is different from nuclear fission, which is what powers current ...

These systems offer high thrust levels similar to chemical rockets but with improved efficiency. Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP): This process converts thermal energy from a nuclear reactor into ...

As the heated propellant expands, it’s ultimately exhausted out of a nozzle in much the same way as in a traditional rocket. It’s also similar to the concept of nuclear thermal propulsion ...

Advanced propulsion technologies, such as ion engines and nuclear thermal rockets, are also being explored for future space exploration missions.

and future potential of nuclear electric and nuclear thermal propulsion systems, which could revolutionize our ability to explore Mars and beyond — both robotically and with human crews.

From concept to reality, the Advanced Technologies team designs, builds and tests new nuclear solutions–from powering electricity and thermal heat in remote locations to rocket propulsion and ...

Get Instant Summarized Text (Gist) A novel experiment on nuclear thermal rocket fuel coatings was conducted to advance NASA's Mars mission capabilities. The experiment tested zirconium carbide ...