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    4. What is the smallest amount of material that can be brought to critical mass for a nuclear explosion? Wondering if a very small yield nuclear explosion could be harnessed to drive a space craft (not necessarily manned).
    What is the smallest amount of material that can be brought to critical mass for a nuclear explosion? Wondering if a very small yield nuclear explosion could be harnessed to drive a space craft (not necessarily manned).

    What is the smallest amount of material that can be brought to critical mass for a nuclear explosion?  Wondering if a very small yield nuclear explosion could be harnessed to drive a space craft (not necessarily manned).




    Suppose it were possible to explode fissile material as small as a grain of sand or as small as a dust mote.  I imagine that is not theoretically possible, but if it were - then the resultant explosion could possibly be contained for propulsive purposes.  A series of such explosions could drive a probe fast enough (I think) to another star system in a few decades.  That'd be awesome.

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    0  Views: 309 Answers: 1 Posted: 13 years ago
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      Two words for you. Ion Propulsion.

      13 years ago. Rating: 1
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