NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Gaseous fission reactor

Gaseous fission reactors are a hypothetical type of nuclear reactor proposed for use in space travel. One limitation on the specific impulse of conventional fission reactions in nuclear thermal rockets is that if the temperature is too high the reactor core melts. The solution is to create a reactor whose core is gaseous. This can create specific impulses of 20,000 s which is good enough for fast interplanetary travel.

See also: spacecraft propulsion

Categories: Nuclear spacecraft propulsion

Results from FactBites:

Nuclear reactor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (4265 words)
	A nuclear reactor is a device in which nuclear chain reactions are initiated, controlled, and sustained at a steady rate (as opposed to a nuclear explosion, where the chain reaction occurs in a split second).
	Fission events that occur immediately are called "prompt" fission events, and if there are enough prompt events for the reaction to be self-sustaining without the delayed fission events, then the reactor is said to be prompt critical.
	The fraction of the reactor's fuel core replaced during refueling is typically one-fourth for a boiling-water reactor and one-third for a pressurized-water reactor.

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