NERVA: The Mars Engine NASA Abandoned скачать в хорошем качестве

NERVA: The Mars Engine NASA Abandoned

In 1972, a nuclear rocket roared for 109 minutes in the Nevada desert, proving a propulsion breakthrough that doubled the performance of chemical engines. The program, called NERVA, was so reliable that engineers ran out of problems to solve—then it was canceled and filed away. This space history documentary reveals how Project Rover and NERVA turned fission into thrust, why NASA drew up real Mars mission plans using this engine, and how politics—not physics—ended the most capable rocket program of its era. From KIWI and Phoebus to XE-Prime and today’s DRACO revival, we trace the rise, fall, and return of nuclear thermal propulsion. In this video, you’ll learn about: ► How nuclear thermal rockets achieve 825–900 seconds of specific impulse—about 2× chemical engines ► The KIWI, Phoebus, NRX, and XE-Prime tests that proved restart, throttle, and long-duration operations ► NASA’s 1969 plans for nuclear shuttles, Moon bases, and Mars missions based on flight-ready hardware ► Why NERVA was terminated in 1973 despite meeting or exceeding all technical objectives ► How modern TRISO fuels and DRACO aim to bring nuclear propulsion back for cislunar and Mars missions From the silent test cells at Jackass Flats to blueprints for Mars in NASA’s archives, this is the story of the engine that could have changed everything—and why it’s returning now. ⏱️ Chapters: 0:00 - The Engine That Shouldn't Exist 0:54 - Fighting Physics with Chemistry 2:36 - Splitting Atoms for Propulsion 3:36 - Project Rover: Birth in the Desert 5:23 - The Nuclear Monsters: Kiwi to Phoebus 6:11 - Engineering the Impossible 7:58 - XE Prime: Flight-Ready Hardware 9:14 - NASA's Nuclear Mars Blueprint 11:19 - Death by Budget Cut 12:15 - The Nuclear Renaissance 14:52 - The Mathematics of Lost Opportunity 17:42 - Every Mars Study Rediscovers NERVA 🔔 Subscribe for more untold space history, real missions, hidden engineering, and the decisions that shaped our future.