Support Our Channel : Produced by the Atomic Energy Agency and NASA, this film details Project NERVA -- the Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application. This was a joint program of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and NASA managed by the Space Nuclear Propulsion Office (SNPO) at the Nuclear Rocket Development Station in Jackass Flats, Nevada . Between 1959 and 1972, the Space Nuclear Propulsion Office oversaw 23 reactor tests. As the narrator states, “The proposed mission to explore the moon, in addition to further missions, will require the acceleration and deceleration of very heavy loads.“ This documentary explores the use of nuclear propulsion to complement the chemical fuels used in today's rockets. The film shows a Saturn 5 rocket on its launchpad, launch and flight [including stage separation and air-ground shots]; the concept of substituting a nuclear 3rd stage to increase payload velocity; 1950s research in New Mexico to deter
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