US Nuclear thermal rocket engine project (1956–1973)
For other uses, see Nerva (disambiguation).
NERVA
NERVA XE in ETS-1
Country of origin
United States
Designer
Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory
Manufacturer
Aerojet (engine)
Westinghouse (reactor)
Application
Upper stage engine
Status
Retired
Liquid-fuel engine
Propellant
Liquid hydrogen
Performance
Thrust, vacuum
246,663 N (55,452 lbf)
Chamber pressure
3,861 kPa (560 psi)
Specific impulse, vacuum
841 seconds (8.25 km/s)
Specific impulse, sea-level
710 seconds (7 km/s)
Burn time
1,680 seconds
Restarts
24
Dimensions
Length
6.9 m (23 ft)
Diameter
2.59 m (8 ft 6 in)
Dry weight
18,144 kg (40,001 lb)
Nuclear reactor
Operational
1968 to 1969
Status
Decommissioned
Main parameters of the reactor core
Fuel (fissile material)
Highly enriched uranium
Fuel state
Solid
Neutron energy spectrum
Thermal
Primary control method
Control drums
Primary moderator
Nuclear graphite
Primary coolant
Liquid hydrogen
Reactor usage
Power (thermal)
1,137 MW
References
References
[1]
Notes
Figures for XE Prime
The Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application (NERVA; /ˈnɜːrvə/) was a nuclear thermal rocket engine development program that ran for roughly two decades. Its principal objective was to "establish a technology base for nuclear rocket engine systems to be utilized in the design and development of propulsion systems for space mission application".[2] It was a joint effort of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and was managed by the Space Nuclear Propulsion Office (SNPO) until the program ended in January 1973. SNPO was led by NASA's Harold Finger and AEC's Milton Klein.
NERVA had its origins in Project Rover, an AEC research project at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) with the initial aim of providing a nuclear-powered upper stage for the United States Air Force intercontinental ballistic missiles. Nuclear thermal rocket engines promised to be more efficient than chemical ones. After the formation of NASA in 1958, Project Rover was continued as a civilian project and was reoriented to producing a nuclear powered upper stage for NASA's Saturn V Moon rocket. Reactors were tested at very low power before being shipped to Jackass Flats in the Nevada Test Site. While LASL concentrated on reactor development, NASA built and tested complete rocket engines.
The AEC, SNPO, and NASA considered NERVA a highly successful program in that it met or exceeded its program goals. It demonstrated that nuclear thermal rocket engines were a feasible and reliable tool for space exploration, and at the end of 1968 SNPO deemed that the latest NERVA engine, the XE, met the requirements for a human mission to Mars. The program had strong political support from Senators Clinton P. Anderson and Margaret Chase Smith but was cancelled by President Richard Nixon in 1973. Although NERVA engines were built and tested as much as possible with flight-certified components and the engine was deemed ready for integration into a spacecraft, they never flew in space.
Nerva (/ˈnɜːrvə/; born Marcus Cocceius Nerva; 8 November 30 – 27 January 98) was a Roman emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became emperor when aged almost...
The Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application (NERVA; /ˈnɜːrvə/) was a nuclear thermal rocket engine development program that ran for roughly two...
emperor from AD 98 to 117, the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier-emperor...
Nervia nerva, the scarce ranger or scarce skipper, is a species of butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Transvaal)...
Forum of Nerva (Italian: Foro di Nerva; Latin: Forum Nervae) is an ancient structure in Rome, Italy, chronologically the next to the last of the Imperial...
Marcus Cocceius Nerva may refer to: Marcus Cocceius Nerva (consul 36 BC), great-grandfather of the Roman emperor Marcus Cocceius Nerva (jurist), grandfather...
Publius Licinius Nerva was a Roman politician during the Late Roman Republic. As a propraetor he was assigned as Governor of Sicily in 104 BC at the outbreak...
came from the town of Hadria in eastern Italy. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. Early in his political career, Hadrian married Vibia Sabina...
assassinated by court officials. He was succeeded the same day by his advisor Nerva. After his death, Domitian's memory was condemned to oblivion by the Senate...
Nerva was a Roman senator and general, who flourished under the reign of Augustus. He was consul in 20 BC as the colleague of Marcus Appuleius. Nerva...
last until Earthshock (1982). The serial is set on Space Station Nerva, now called Nerva Beacon, and the "planet of gold" Voga, thousands of years before...
Commodus was assassinated by the wrestler Narcissus in 192, ending the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was succeeded by Pertinax, the first claimant in the...
Fora Roman Forum Imperial fora Forum of Augustus Forum of Caesar Forum of Nerva Forum of Vespasian Trajan's Forum Forum Boarium Forum Holitorium Civic Basilica...
Stolo), Crassus (with the agnomen Dives), Geta, Lucullus, Macer, Murena, Nerva, Sacerdos, and Varus. The other cognomina of the gens are personal surnames...
household. Following Domitian's murder, the Senate rapidly appointed Nerva as Emperor. Nerva had noble ancestry, and he had served as an advisor to Nero and...
Tiberius Caligula Claudius Nero Galba Otho Vitellius Vespasian Titus Domitian Nerva Trajan Hadrian Antoninus Pius Lucius Verus Marcus Aurelius Commodus Pertinax...
Aelianus who served as Praetorian Prefect under the emperors Domitian and Nerva, was a Praetorian Prefect loyal to the Roman Emperor Domitian, the last...
clashes along the Danube in 92. Economically, the empire saw reforms by Nerva after the death of Domitian in 96, including but not limited to a string...
brief Flavian dynasty, followed by the Nerva–Antonine dynasty which produced the "Five Good Emperors": Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus...
emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors...
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