About Rod D. Martin
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by Mike Brown
July 27, 2019
Nuclear thermal rockets would be “a great area of research for NASA,” Elon Musk declared Monday. The SpaceX CEO highlighted how the alternative to rocket fuel could unlock faster travel times around the solar system, a keen area of interest as his firm develops plans to create a planet-hopping civilization.
While the idea may conjure up scenes from Chernobyl, its proponents suggest that astronauts may reduce the amount of radiation exposure endured by astronauts. Deep space already hits travelers with high doses, and while hosting a nuclear reactor on board a spaceship would create its own radiation, that would be outweighed by the reduced time spent on the trip.
“To be clear: good for in-space transit, but not recommended for Earth to orbit!” Musk stated via Twitter.
Musk was responding to a story from Universal-Sci, which explains how nuclear rockets could reduce the amount of time it takes to get to Mars from eight months down to just 100 days.
SpaceX is currently developing the stainless steel Starship, fueled with liquid oxygen and methane, with the goal of a manned mission to Mars. The rocket’s fuel means humans can set up a propellant depot that creates more fuel on the surface of Mars, enabling a return flight home and trips even further out in space. Musk has suggested that SpaceX could establish a full-blown city on Mars by 2050 — a goal that nuclear rockets could speed up even more.
Nuclear Rockets: How a Reactor Could Send Astronauts Soaring
Today’s chemical-based rockets basically work by setting fire to the fuel and pushing the exhaust through a nozzle, creating thrust that gets the rocket lifted up and into space. A nuclear-powered rocket, by contrast, has a reactor on board that heats up a fuel like liquid hydrogen, blasting the propellant through the nozzle at speed.
The reason why nuclear rockets get scientists excited is because they could produce several times more force than traditional rockets, depending on the design.
Specific impulse measures the amount of push that comes from using a set unit of fuel. The Saturn V, the rocket that took humans to the moon, had a specific impulse of 421 seconds on its second-stage boosters. A basic version of a nuclear rocket, by comparison, could reach 900 seconds according to the European Space Agency. More radical designs can reach even higher speeds, like the Orion Drive that essentially detonate a nuclear bomb under the rocket can reach a staggering 100,000 seconds of specific impulse.
NASA has been exploring the concept since the 1960s, when it was working with the Atomic Energy Commission. Indeed, weeks after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon in 1969, engineer Wernher von Braun was devising a way to use nuclear reactors to get to Mars. The idea would use three nuclear-powered boosters in Earth orbit, joining together with a capsule on top of the central core. Von Braun envisioned the mission taking place in the early 1980s. Unfortunately, in part due to a lack of public support for sending people to an empty wasteland, the Nixon administration axed almost all of von Braun’s plans.
Nuclear rockets again surged to the surface in May 2019, when the House Appropriations Committee approved $125 million in funding to explore nuclear thermal propulsion development. The funds were in addition to another $100 million provided by Congress, around 70 percent of which was aimed for a demonstration flight in 2024. The new funds did not refer to any specific deadline,
On Russia’s side, Roscosmos is also exploring the potential. In November 2018 the agency announced plans to use a nuclear-powered space cruiser to reach Mars:
“Nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) systems offer the greatest versatility for near-term deep space missions such as NASA’s planned Mars and near-Earth-asteroid missions,” Dan Kotlyar, an assistant professor of nuclear radiological engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, told Inverse at the time. “Due to their superior energy density, these systems have nearly twice the efficiency of the best chemical engines paired with comparable thrust levels.”
Starship is about to host its first series of non-tethered hop tests at some point this week. While its Raptor engine has already broken records, it could prove to be a very early iteration of the super-fast rockets that come later.
— Elon Musk Proposes a Controversial Plan to Speed Up Spaceflight to Mars originally appeared at Inverse.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
The future of technology is the future of America. Rod Martin sees that future clearly, and also sees how to shape it for the betterment of all. He is firmly rooted in the traditions of faith and patriotism that have made America great. That’s why he has made, and will make, so many outstanding contributions in so many areas.
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