Nuclear Weapons
Nuclear weapons are explosive devices that derive their destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. In astronautical engineering, nuclear weapons have been used as a propulsion system for spacecraft. Nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) is a type of spacecraft propulsion that uses a nuclear reactor to heat a propellant, which then expands through a nozzle to generate thrust. NTP has the potential to provide much higher specific impulse than chemical rockets, which could significantly reduce travel times for crewed missions to Mars and other destinations. However, the use of nuclear weapons in space is highly controversial due to safety concerns and the potential for weaponization of space.
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