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Reddit-runner t1_j2ctl6v wrote

Reply to comment by stewartm0205 in What if we kept pursuing nuclear spacecraft propulsion? by rosTopicEchoChamber

Wrong.

You need heavy shielding to not irradiate the payload

And the insulation is necessary because the tanks are in constant exposure to the sun.

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stewartm0205 t1_j2fin05 wrote

The reactor is at the other end of the rocket far away from the payload in the high radiation environment of space. At worse, a small block of material should be enough of a shield. The radiation will dissipate at square the distance from the reactor. Then it had to penetrate the liquid hydrogen in the tank. As for the tank, a shiny thin Mylar sheet would be enough to reflect the rays of the sun. The Vacuum of space makes for a perfect insulator.

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Reddit-runner t1_j2fxmzm wrote

> The Vacuum of space makes for a perfect insulator.

Yeah, that's the problem. Do the math

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