<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>bpfeifer said;<br /><br />The VSE called for the development of advanced power and propulsion systems, and explicitly called for a flight capable nuclear reactor. However, as is usually the case with the development of space-based nuclear systems, Congress began cutting funding for it almost immediately.<br /><br />A reactor was supposed to debut on the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter, which has been completely cut "due to mission complexity." I would love to see nuclear-electric propulsion, but I doubt it will happen any time soon.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />Glenn is still working on magnetoplasmadynmatic rockets (
MPD). <br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Glenn is currently developing high-specific-impulse, megawatt-class, hydrogen-fueled MPD thruster technology. Research at Glenn encompasses a combination of systems analysis, numerical modeling, and high-power experiments that investigate pulsed versions of both self-field and applied-field MPD thrusters. Testing for these thrusters has demonstrated exhaust velocities of 100,000 meters per second (over 200,000 mph) and thrust levels of 100 Newtons (22.5 pounds) at power levels of 1 megawatt. For perspective, this exhaust velocity will allow a spacecraft to travel roughly 11 times the top speed of the space shuttle (18,000 mph).<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />By comparison Deep Space One developed 92 millinewtons (~1/3 ounce) of thrust. <br /><br />
VASIMR was spun off to private last development year with ties but AFAIK no funding from NASA. <br /><br />Both are presumably nuclear by their power requirements. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>