00:00Both have their areas of application, and spacecraft designers have to weigh the pros and cons against each other.
00:09Finally, we come to nuclear electric propulsion, or NEP for short,
00:14a technology that combines nuclear power with electric thrusters to generate megawatts of power.
00:20In this process, nuclear fission, where uranium-235 is bombarded with neutrons and releases energy, produces immense heat.
00:31This heat is then converted into electricity, for example through Stirling or Brayton Cycles, and that electricity in turn powers
00:39the thrusters.
00:40The specific impulse can reach up to 10,000 seconds, and the thrust is scalable.
00:48Ideal for long interplanetary missions where endurance matters.
00:5306.3.0
00:5506.0
00:5606.0
00:5606.0
00:5706.0
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