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Science

eppur_se_muova

(42,480 posts)

14. Ah, OK ... writing for a larger audience ...

Reply to OKIsItJustMe (Reply #12)

Sat May 16, 2026, 05:45 PM

15 hrs ago

I hope not too many DUers need to be told that riding a series of nuclear explosions to the stars was an absurd idea -- it's just one of those things that someone was bound to think of at the time.

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NASA Fires Up Powerful Lithium-Fed Thruster for Trips to Mars [View all] OKIsItJustMe Friday OP

Another fucking waste of money. 3Hotdogs Yesterday #1

Previous ion engines have favored very heavy atoms as propellant -- mercury or xenon. More atomic mass -- eppur_se_muova Yesterday #2

The NERVA engine used hydrogen, so (you know) lithium is heavier than that, but certainly lighter than mercury OKIsItJustMe 22 hrs ago #4

Hydrogen is being used there as ejectable mass, nothing more. It's handled by mechanical pumps and pressure. eppur_se_muova 21 hrs ago #5

Check out the NASA paper I added to the bottom of the reply OKIsItJustMe 21 hrs ago #6

Thanks for the paper. I knew about the older nuclear interest. eppur_se_muova 20 hrs ago #7

NERVA was not the same as Orion OKIsItJustMe 19 hrs ago #8

Yes, I know that, thank you. In fact you're just repeating things I've already said in my replies. nt eppur_se_muova 17 hrs ago #10

We both realize that (I was even repeating myself) OKIsItJustMe 17 hrs ago #12

Ah, OK ... writing for a larger audience ... eppur_se_muova 15 hrs ago #14

I've been watching "For All Mankind" on Apple TV OKIsItJustMe 15 hrs ago #15

Isn't lithium in somewhat short supply? erronis 23 hrs ago #3

Meanwhile, at a grossly overspent under intellectual trump supported SpaceX 3825-87867 17 hrs ago #9

NASA is facing serious cuts OKIsItJustMe 17 hrs ago #11

More from the paper cited by OKIsItJustMe .... eppur_se_muova 15 hrs ago #13

"It must have been a real pleasure to work out the mathematics of MPD for the first time..." OKIsItJustMe 15 hrs ago #16