America Puts Its Hopes On Atom Rocket

Press, Volume C, Issue 29548, 24 June 1961, Page 8

America Puts Its Hopes On Atom Rocket

(Be LEONARD BICKEL 1 NEW YORK. June 19. AMERICAN nuclear science is on the verge of a technical break-through that may well win space superiority from the Russians for the first time since Sputnik 1 crossed the heavens in October, 1957. Working at a closely guarded site in the Nevada Desert under what is known as the Uniteci States “Rover” programme, they have completed ground tests of an atomic device that could thrust a rocket through space faster and further than any known chemical fuel.

Full, successful applies-11 tion of the device could ’ mark the next forward stepi! in interplantary travel and i provide a method of tapping the power sources of the ■ t universe. i i In a report in the past few! days reviewing the prospects it of the device—known as i KIWI A3—the chairman of t the Atomic Energy Commis- / sion. Professor Glenn Sea- 1 borg. said the first nuclear < rocket may be ready for < flight by 1935. I Expressing "cautious op- < timism.” he forecast that the j KIWI device would be tre- i mendously more powerful i than present chemical fuel s rockets and would make < possible space journeys that - would seem unthinkable t under present technology. < The work already done on the American nuclear rocket i engine has been the result < of growing recognition thati the immense energy ofis atomic reactions —the power j that controls the universe I and fires the stars—offers the : only known force that will t allow man to break down t the barriers to long-distance t manned space travel. [t In recent times virtually, every recognised scientific ;i journal has taken note of 11 I this point. Russian works 1 ' and technical papers have ' < [emphasised this. too. but so : far no official indication has s been given by the Soviets on whether their scientists have t taken their ideas into the I technical stage, though they 1 may well be working on a I project in secret < 1 Impetus In the United States where ( despite Commander Alan 1 Shepard’s space hop, the

l sting of Yuri Gagarin's world orbit is still smarting i prestige-conscious officials i are hoping that Professor Seaborg's hopeful report will [give added impetus to the [atomic rocket plan. j The Nevada Desert tests are believed to have led to action in the White House and in the nations Space Agency propulsion office. President Kennedy has called together a special committee loaded with experts to present a full and authentic review of the expectations, while elsewhere in the atomic energy industry there has been a scramble to bid for the work of building the flyable rocket —a contract that could be worth many millions of dollars. Later this year—at Los Alamos, scene of the development of the first atomic bomb—there will be special tests linking the rocket reactor with liquid, hydrogen a* a propelling agent. When this is fully' tested the work of building the complete rocket will be ■turned over with speciflca- , tions to a contractor. [ Not much technical data is known about the KIWI [ project, but it is understood to work on the same prm- ’ ciples as nuclear power reactors—'but with one or two, significant differences. It is described as a barrelshaped device, about six feet in diameter in which highly enriched uranium fuel is brought to a selfsustaining chain reaction. The tremendous energy from the break-up of the uranium atoms is used to excite a flow of hydrogen—gas or liquid. This is forced through the

, i reactor compartment under - pressure and in split seconds lis heated to thousands of [degrees, giving a massive throat expected to te at least double that of the bestknown combinations of chemical fuels. Following the static tests —tests of flight performance without leaving the ground—the KIWI device has been dismantled for close scrutiny for clues to greater performance m future space shots. Just as aeronautical engini eers in the development of 'flight came up against the t sound barrier, rocket engin- ’ eers have found themselves ' approaching a barrier peculiar to their own field' , ■ Chemical fuel rockets have - hit the moon, gone into or- ‘ 1 bit around the sun and r i taken man on his first apace I'flight around the world, but .[ it is recognised that there |is a limit beyond which the s chemical rocket cannot go a i Scientists now talk of this sas the "chemical engine e i barrier"—a barrier which . ‘ with all Its problems of 5 i limited pay-load, thrust and capacity, may be .. overcome by the KIWI rocket j reactor. I However, this may not be only superiority offered i,[by this project—it could also , provide heat and electric , power for manned apace t travel. t The reactor that hurls the f atomic rocket through space could also provide the eon8 stant levels of power needed p to keep the spare crew warm t and to ensure reliable instruE I mentation and radio contact. e l factors that Could be vital to I i a safe space trio. ,1 Despite all this promise, JI problems still remain to be g overcome before there is full L , and safe use of the atomic . I rocket. Fierce radioactivity | would stream from the thrust „ ‘ nozzles with the bursting j hydrogen—rockets could go I off course and crash, or reenter the earth’s atmosphere. . spreading highly dangerous , contamination wherever they happened to fall. . It was with all this side of t the picture that Professor , Seaborg was concerned when , he spoke of being “cautiously . optimistic” of sucres*—not with the question of whether j the rocket would work or , not i r Priority » Present thinking is that - the atomic device will te cold when the rocket leaves the earth—blasting off on chemical fuel to beyond the earth's atmosphere—and will not start the chain reaction until well on its way. This conception is of a long dis- [ tance. long term rocket that will enable man to open the door on new knowledge of the universe, perhaps on its origins and even the beginnings of life itself. No - one doubts that the atomic powered thrust will make it easier for man to throw off the shackles of gravity—but the burning question remains in Americans’ minds. Who will do it first? The Americans, or the Russians? There has been a vigorous clamour for priority action —little noticed by the outside world—on this series of experiments. whieh are viewed by some as being j more weighted with destiny ' than the decision to develop .the atom and hydrogen bombs. I A leading rocket engineer, " T, F. Dixon, of Roeketdync. ' told the nation flatly, "We ■,are ready to begin building ’la flyable rocket engine pow--1 ered by nuclear fission.” 5 1 Another and more powerl[ftil voice—that of Senator ’ Clinton Anderson, a former leader of the American Joint [ Committee on Atomic En1. ergy—has already thundered ’ across the Senate in Washington. when he said: ’ “Let’s get ahead with the s iob. Ix>t us be the first to > hurld the atomic rocket to . explore the solar system If s we fail, then future genera- ' tions may salute our pioneer, t ing spirit—but if we succeed, • [then the universe will be 1 theirs."—Associated Newspapers Feature Services