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ShedDoor2020 t1_j6p362x wrote

Reply to comment by gaunt79 in NASA and DARPA to partner on nuclear thermal propulsion demonstration by returnofjuju

Thank you for the explanation. So, do you have to replenish/refuel the hydrogen periodically? Or is it a closed system like a car radiator?

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gaunt79 t1_j6p5hdo wrote

It would need to be replentished, but it would theoretically be easier/safer to refill only hydrogen propellant than to refill both a fuel and an oxidizer. I don't think that refueling is in DRACO's mission parameters, though. Future NTP spacecraft may be reusable in that manner.

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