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Nuclear Rockets (w. Scooter)

August 12, 2026 · 1 h 33 min

Show notes

While most of NASA was focused on the Apollo Moon Program, a separate division was hard at work building then deliberately blowing up nuclear rocket cores all over Nevada. This week, we’re talking to train and nuclear knower Scooter about the weird and convoluted story of American nuclear rockets.

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SOURCES:

- Nuclear propulsion: A vital technology for the exploration of Mars and the planets beyond, NASA

- The NERVA Nuclear Rocket Reactor Program, W H Esselman

FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy


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