One of the great problems of interplanetary travel is the time that it takes to traverse the great distances between the Earth and various destinations in the solar system. Using chemical rockets, a manned expedition to Mars, for example, would take upwards of three years round trip, including the time spent on the Martian surface. Voyage times to other destinations, such as the moons of Jupiter or Saturn, could be measured in over a decade or longer, clearly impossible for human crews to endure. Not only does prolonged exposure to micro gravity present health problems, including the weakening of muscles and bones, but exposure to interplanetary radiation could prove fatal.

Nuclear rockets could provide some reduction in the time it would take to voyage to the planets. But, ironically, one solution was explored during the late 1950s and early 1960s that might have allowed humans to bridge the interplanetary gulfs decades ago. With some modifications, that solution might still give humankind the solar system, now that interest in space exploration has revived.

Ironically, the solution depended on the explosive force of nuclear bombs, a technology that once threatened the annihilation of the human species. It was called Orion.

How does Orion Work?

An Orion space craft consists of the ship itself, where the crew, equipment, and fuel in the form of nuclear bombs are kept, and a push plate to the rear. In order to propel itself, the Orion ship ejects a nuclear bomb every few seconds to the rear, which explodes. The shock wave of the explosion acts upon the pusher plate, which transmits the force to the ship via shock absorbers, propelling the ship forward. Using this method of propulsion, an Orion space craft can achieve speeds unobtainable by other methods, including nuclear.