Some odd history

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

I have spent some time around Arco in Idaho, on way to The Craters of The Moon National Monument. The road passes the EBR-1 site, a bit of technical history. At the same site they have two nuclearly powered jet engines on display on a parking lot. These have been in nuclear powered operation for almost 3000 hours, so it's fascinating that they can be displayed this way.
Check the article here: http://83.177.178.241/ekr/index.php/photoa...nd-heater-three

Hint, click on image for full size view.

Best regards
Erik

[bill t.]

I'd just as soon not have those buzzing over my head!

Got a tour of the now closed joint American-Russian nuclear space engine test facility at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque.  Fortunately the "reactor" part was simulated by electric heating elements.  This was a very low thrust unit for long missions, not the really scary Kiwi device from a few decades ago.  The American instrumentation was all computer networked sensors, the Russian instrumentation was a red headed, rosey-cheeked, green-eyed girl writing down Nixie tube readings.  Who do you think REALLY won the space race?

Picture of nuclear rocket blowing up (on purpose)...

http://www.nasaimages.org/luna/servlet/det...Nuclear-Reactor