Project Orion Tests • VideoSift: Online Video *Quality Control

Project Orion Tests

published by srd

3 months 2 weeks ago • 581 views

tags: spaceflight, space, saturn, jupiter, nuclear, explosion

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Project Orion was a secret US program, trying to use nuclear explosions as a propulsion system for space travel. See this talk for the background and details.

Comments

Yeah Freeman Dyson is the man. So imagine each one of those explosions is a low yield nuclear payload being shot out the back of the spacecraft at regular intervals with the shockwave bouncing off a well designed aluminum pusher plate.

Would have been an amazing launch to witness.

written by dmac | 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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*spacy

written by NetRunner

| 3 months 2 weeks ago | CH

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Adding video to channels (Spacy) - requested by NetRunner.

written by siftbot

| 3 months 2 weeks ago | CH

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Unfortunately, according to their original documents, no one would've been able to witness the launches within a few hundred(?) miles of the launch site. Or else they would suffer permanent blindness and other physiological side effects.

I'm actually quite pleased this project was never taken to a real testing phase, it just seems far too dangerous, and just not elegant enough for practical use. In stead of shooting an apple off someone's head with an arrow, they're using, well, a nuclear bomb.

written by Raigen

| 3 months 2 weeks ago | CH

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They are only small nuclear bombs, so I doubt the viewing distance is hundreds of miles. Many people looked at the nuclear tests of history from much closer ranges. Goggles are probably advised. The launch pad would also be made from metal to greatly reduce nuclear fallout and special nuclear bombs would reduce fallout even more. Most nuclear fallout comes from the irradiated earth that spews out from a nuclear blast.
This project is one of the only feasible current options of reaching other stars. It can reach 0.1c meaning a trip of slightly more than 40 years to our nearest star.

written by cybrbeast

| 3 months 2 weeks ago | CH

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who voted for this video

srd

- Constitutional_Patriot

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- NetRunner

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