Show notes
Dale Thomas is a NASA veteran of several decades, a professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and one of the leading researchers on nuclear thermal propulsion. A method using uranium fission of propelling rockets with far high impulse than most chemical rockets. He walks us through the history of nuclear propulsion from the solid fuel-based rockets being designed by NASA now, to the liquid fuel rockets his research team is exploring the viability of now. We work through what has inspired Dale in his life, the safety and operation of these rockets, and how liquifying uranium might let us travel through space much more efficiently.Check out the student lead effort of building a scientific mission-oriented CubeSat here.https://www.uah.edu/ASGChttps://www.uah.edu/csil/research/research-projects/abex-alabama-burse-energetics-explorerDespite what we say in the intro and episode, they are not currently looking for funding. Although the work they are doing is fantastic.If you are interested in some books that Dale has recommended you can check out some of them here.These are affiliate links so if you want to help out the podcast, this is a good way to do it :)Seven Eves - https://amzn.to/3ATwBNvSaturn Run - https://amzn.to/3jfaWJrThe Martian - https://amzn.to/3BXxSnX0:00 Intro1:51 An introduction to rocketry, nuclear reactions and how they both work in nuclear thermal rocketrySpecific Impulse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_impulseNuclear Thermal Rocketry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_thermal_rocket7:51 - Dale Thomas’s personal journey to working on nuclear thermal propulsionLikely a good clip would be herehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuiper_belt14:56 - Liquid core nuclear propulsion or liquid fuel and some of the details about ithttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NERVA19:51 - Bubbly thermodynamics for bubbling hydrogen into liquid uranium22:13 - How nuclear reactions are safely cooledhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_reactor#Reactivity_control24:00 - What the current state of nuclear thermal propulsionSolid fuel is being built by NASALiquid fuel is what Dale specializes in researching26:50 - What the components in current nuclear thermal propulsion designs will need the most design validationWindows ping 3 (sorry sorry sorry)29:40 - How big of a concern is radiation in nuclear thermal rockets?33:15 - NTP rockets currently will likely have radiated exhausted, what does that mean for ground launches?Currently being developed as a space only engine.Impulse vs thrusthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_impulse36:00 - Expansions on gas fuel uranium and pulsed staged nuclear propulsionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_thermal_rocket#Nuclea
