The REAL problem achieves prominence

[Daniel Cougar]

You know, these are *really* cool articles!

Glad you liked them. Unfortuantly, I'm going to have to call a strike out on another search I've been doing. I've been researching something either called NIFTY or NIFTI. The first three letters stand for Nuclear Indgenous Fuel. It was basicly your nuclear ramjet. I read about it in an Ad Astra article about a decade ago. I don't have the magazine any more, Ad Astra hasn't replied to my query, and Ad Astra was only available to members of the National Space Society, so checking the library won't help. Web searches and queries on the sci.space.* groups have also turned up nothing. I would continue the search despite all this, except the head gasket on my Saturn blew yesterday. I can't afford to devote any more time to the search.

Oh, I did find something else you might like, check here

[Kellogg]

You know, these are *really* cool articles!

Glad you liked them. Unfortuantly, I'm going to have to call a strike out on another search I've been doing. I've been researching something either called NIFTY or NIFTI. The first three letters stand for Nuclear Indgenous Fuel. It was bascily your nuclear ramjet.

Wow! Is it not Nifty?

I'd been speculating that Lindbergh's design is an adaptation of the old
tried and untested Tory IIA reactor from Project Pluto:
http://www.merkle.com/pluto/pluto.html
with nuclear fuel from the moon and automated asteroid mines.

I read about it in an Ad Astra article about a decade ago. I don't have the magazine any more, Ad Astra hasn't replied to my query, and Ad Astra was only available to members of the National Space Society, so checking the library won't help. Web searches and queries on the sci.space.* groups have also turned up nothing. I would continue the search despite all this, except the head gasket on my Saturn blew yesterday. I can't afford to devote any more time to the search.

Ouch! Sorry to hear that.
I've got an alternater to install myself.

Oh, I did find something else you might like, check here

Jonny Freakinouter! That's NEAT!
Thanks! I love those old designs!

Scott

[Daniel Cougar]

Oh, I did find something else you might like, check here

Jonny Freakinouter! That's NEAT!
Thanks! I love those old designs!

Scott

I half expect to see a Saturn Shuttle to be landing when they go to leave the spaceport now.

[Nebulous Rikulau]

Glad you liked them. Unfortuantly, I'm going to have to call a strike out on another search I've been doing. I've been researching something either called NIFTY or NIFTI. The first three letters stand for Nuclear Indgenous Fuel. It was basicly your nuclear ramjet. I read about it in an Ad Astra article about a decade ago. I don't have the magazine any more, Ad Astra hasn't replied to my query, and Ad Astra was only available to members of the National Space Society, so checking the library won't help. Web searches and queries on the sci.space.* groups have also turned up nothing. I would continue the search despite all this, except the head gasket on my Saturn blew yesterday. I can't afford to devote any more time to the search.

Are you sure you don't mean the NSWR? (Nuclear Salt Water Rocket)

And, of course, Muppet Labs is working on their own spacecraft.

When completed, the F-7000 will be the first space vehicle powered entirely by cole slaw. As anyone who has attended a company picnic knows, the energy released by cabbage far outweighs that of any fuel currently used by any space program. Unfortunately, we are experiencing delays getting the craft off the ground;just when we get enough fuel for launch, someone throws a barbecue.

[ZOMBIE USER 6611]

Are you sure you don't mean the NSWR? (Nuclear Salt Water Rocket)

Bob Zubrin, the author of the NSWR concept, is quite a credible person.

I was telling Scott Kellogg about him just a couple of weeks ago. While small in stature (at least compared to Scott Kellogg or myself) he is perhaps the most intense speaker I have yet met.

When face to face with Zubrin, you aren't sure if you're being taught or mugged. He is, ah, passionate about his projects, and is the author of "The Case For Mars" (excellent) and other books, and is the spearhead of The Mars Society. He is highly credentialed, and famously volatile.

Many of his ideas are being tried out now, by NASA and others. The notion of manufacturing fuel on the surface of Mars for the return trip is entirely plausible, and he's got the facts and figures and engineering details laid out. In light of that, the NSWR is almost unnecessary, but his fertile mind is not likely to stop anytime soon.

[Daniel Cougar]

Are you sure you don't mean the NSWR? (Nuclear Salt Water Rocket)

Quite certain. The engine was described as part of a Titan Flyer.

[Daniel Cougar]

Ouch! Sorry to hear that.
I've got an alternater to install myself.

Good luck. My friends and I were going over the necessaries, and the head gasket replacement looks to be a two weekend job. One weekend to disassemble the engine and one to rebuild it. Thank the Great Maker I've got a landlord willing to loan me a car for that time period.

[Nebulous Rikulau]

Are you sure you don't mean the NSWR? (Nuclear Salt Water Rocket)

Quite certain. The engine was described as part of a Titan Flyer.

Okay.
I've also found a reference to a MITEE(Miniature ReacTor EnginE) nuclear propulsion system, with a proposal to use it as a nuclear ramjet in a Jupiter flyer. Their earliest dated paper on it is July of '98.

[Daniel Cougar]

Okay.
I've also found a reference to a MITEE(Miniature ReacTor EnginE) nuclear propulsion system, with a proposal to use it as a nuclear ramjet in a Jupiter flyer. Their earliest dated paper on it is July of '98.

Don't think that's it, but it looks similar. It might be a further refinment of the concept, like the STEREO sats were based on the concept for TWINS.