Project Orion / Project Daedalus

Orionblamblam said:
??? Even the Tsar bomb is *many* orders of magnitude too weak to damage the planet in any material fashion.
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You are right, we don’t have (yet?) Death Star; but here the problem was the level of atmosphérique radioactivity at the beginning of 60s; hence the treaty of interdiction of nuclear explosions in the atmosphere. Ok after 10-20 years that level decreased to small (normal ?) levels.
 
And , for an Orion, functionning in the upper level of the atmosphere (above 60-80 km if launched by a S1C) what about electromagnetic pulse effects?
 
Pure fusion devices may need to come along.

Medusa/sail designs might allow a two-fer...expel tiny targets a laser detonates...detach the spacecraft "clip" with probe---sail unfolds more and the laser accelerates if fast after the bus is staged.

Killjoy
phys.org

Nukes in space: A bad idea in the 1960s, an even worse one now

The US and Japan are sponsoring a resolution for debate by the United Nations security council which—if passed—will reaffirm international commitments to the 1967 outer space treaty (OST) forbidding the deployment and use of nuclear weapons in space.
phys.org phys.org
 
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publiusr said:
Pure fusion devices may need to come along.
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You could certainly generate pretty ludicrous thrust that way, one interpretation of the Epstein Drive from the Expanse is as a pure-fusion magnetic sail Orion/Daedalus drive.
 
Folks, after watching Hazegrayart video too many times (Orion interstellar ark) I think the solution to lift Orion away from Earth is... a big cluster of Aerojet 260 inch SRBs. A four stages, all solid monster rocket. In the early days of Apollo was a concept for an all-solid Nova; imagine that with only 260 inch SRBs.
 
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