Rik's Ramblings

Sunday, February 07, 2021

bullshit pseudo-science

You can't just say "someone has invented a new rocket engine" just because they crapped out some idea about "newcular fussion in space", while taking a dump.

The Unusual Rocket Thruster That Will Send Humans to Mars
 - https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a35393411/magnetic-rocket-thruster-spaceflight-mars/

They make it sound like this engine will be in service next week.  But let's take a step back and ask a few questions:
 - how many space craft so far have we launched with a nuclear reactor (fussion or otherwise)
 - how many nuclear fussion reactors do we have running on the planet today.

For item one: Sure, we send shit into space with a nuclear power source. For example, the mars rover "Perseverance" has an RTG. But an RTG is not a nuclear power station.

For item two let me give you a hint: everytime I type "fussion" into my phone, autocorrect replaces it with fission.  When I consult  Internet, we're probably a decade from running a sustained fussion reactor on Earth.




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