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Comment by njarboe | Hacker News Reader

I hope someday the risks from radiation will be evaluated on equal par with other risks of a modern society and nuclear power options will be viable again. After decades of technology stagnation in rocket launch business, Musk and company has orbital class rockets landing back and the launch pad and is looking into nuclear rockets. I wish him luck.

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IMO risk is absolutely not the primary reason that nuclear-powered rockets don't exist.

What is the primary reason? Many people would love to work on such a project and some people would fund them. Would you agree that fundamental physics does not preclude a functioning nuclear rocket? Where would one build, much less test, such a device as a nuclear-powered rocket? We can't even agree in the US where to bury inert (mostly) ceramic radioactive waste. A live, radioactive (low-level, but still radioactive) exhaust stream is not going to happen in the US in the current culture.

> Would you agree that fundamental physics does not preclude a functioning nuclear rocket?... What is the primary reason?

Yes. No demand.

> Would you agree that fundamental physics does not preclude a functioning nuclear rocket?

Fundamental physics also doesn't preclude a nuclear powered ferris wheel the size of the empire state building.

There are lots of things that humans can do but don't do.

> A live, radioactive (low-level, but still radioactive) exhaust stream is not going to happen in the US in the current culture.

This hasn't stopped us from building an enormous fleet of nuclear ICBMs and a rather large fleet of nuclear power plants.

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