Founded in 1954, the American Nuclear Society is a not-for-profit dedicated to advancing the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology. ANS is the voice of nuclear engineers, nuclear scientists, nuclear technologists, STEM educators, and other nuclear professionals in the United States and around the world. Become a "nuke" today, join us at www.ans.org.
Here is the stuff that discourages civilian excitement. In 2003, NASA researched and designed nuclear engines in Project Prometheus. In just three years they invested $442.6 million. It was canceled in 2006 but less than 20 years later, what is to show for almost a half billion dollars of research spent in just three years? Tightening the controls on seed funds and showing more from R&D is necessary to keep this afloat. There is literally no conceiving how nearly nearly a half billion dollars could have been wisely spent in just three years of brain storrmiing.
Space vehicle engineers have theorized about nuclear-powered engines since early 1960s. Lots of slick sketches but nothing close to effective emerged. Manifestation of this technology is essential to getting remotely near the Star Trek vision of deep space exploration.
