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This is episode 7 of the series on crazy nuclear rocket engines, where we will explore the fizzer.
If you haven't watched the introductory video, please watch it now.
The fizzer is pretty simple.
We start with a long tube like a solid rocket motor.
There is a long rod of uranium 235 running down the middle of the rocket with a cadmium coating on the outside, just enough to keep it from going critical.
Outside the rod is the lithium hydride propellant.
To start the reaction, you drop off a section of the cadmium control sheath at the bottom, and that allows the bottom section of the uranium rod to start fissioning wildly. It heats up the lithium hydroxide so it turns to gas, and an exhaust of lithium, hydrogen, and uranium comes out the bottom of the rocket. The high neutron flux from the burning part continues the process going up the uranium rod.
Here's a scorecard for the fizzer
On the plus side...
There are no moving parts, and the design gives you plenty of thrust.
On the negatives side...
It's excellent and dispersing fission byproducts across a large area
It cannot be throttled down. Or up.
Do not hold in had. Light fuse and get away
It gets a solid 10 on the craziness score.
If you enjoyed this video, please play with a sparkler.