|
Nuclear pulse test vehicle. Year: 1959. Family: Orion. Country: USA. The modified test article for Project Orion had a total mass of 105 kg. The outer shell and upper shock absorber of the original design were deleted and a parachute recovery system added. Six aluminium-encased charges, each with 1.04 kg of C4 high explosive, were ejected from the rear of the pusher plate and exploded 866 mm behind the plate over a 35 second period. An initial charge of 452 kg of gunpowder in a mortar-like launch cylinder got the craft going. The hot rod successfully achieved stable acceleration and reached an altitude of 105 m on 12 November 1959 from Point Loma California. This proved the concept of the larger nuclear-powered design. Manufacturer: General Atomic. Total Mass: 105 kg (231 lb). Core Diameter: 1.00 m (3.20 ft). Total Length: 1.50 m (4.90 ft).
Bibliography and Further Reading - Brower, Kenneth, The Starship and the Canoe, Bantam, 1979. ISBN: 0030391962. A meditation on the values and lives of Frederick Dyson, weapons scientist, father of the Orion nuclear pulse starship, and his son, who lives in the Pacific Northwest forest and builds canoes. More at amazon.com...
|