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Collection:
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NASA Great Images in Nasa Collection
Collection
NASA Great Images in Nasa Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Destruction of KIWI Nuclear Reactor
Title
Destruction of KIWI Nuclear Reactor
Title
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Full Description:
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A modified Kiwi nuclear reactor was deliberately destroyed at the Nuclear Rocket Development Station in Jackass Flats, Nevada, as a safety experiment simulating an accident during a launch. Nuclear scientists imposed a sudden increase in power on the generator, there was a rapid release of heat and energy that caused the reactor to burst apart. The safety experiment was designed to obtain basic reactor shutdown information for use in predicting the behavior of nuclear rocket reactors under a wide range of accident conditions. Kiwi was a project under the National Nuclear Rocket development program, sponsored jointly by the Atomic Energy Commission and NASA as part of project Rover/NERVA (Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application). The main objective of Rover/NERVA was to design a flight rated thermodynamic nuclear rocket engine. Kiwi was a prototype for a nuclear rocket reactor that could be used in space travel. Gaseous hydrogen was used as a propellant on the Kiwi-A tests that began in 1959. Kiwi-A served as a learning tool to test specifications and to discover changes that needed to be implemented in the next phase of study, the Kiwi-B series. This project began in December 1961 and used liquid hydrogen as a propellant. In the late 1960's and early 1970's, the Nixon Administration cut NASA and NERVA funding dramatically. The cutbacks were made in response to a lack of public interest in human spaceflight, the end of the space race after the Apollo Moon landing, and the growing use of low-cost unmanned, robotic space probes. Eventually NERVA lost its funding, and the project ended in 1973.
Full_Description
A modified Kiwi nuclear reactor was deliberately destroyed at the Nuclear Rocket Development Station in Jackass Flats, Nevada, as a safety experiment simulating an accident during a launch. Nuclear scientists imposed a sudden increase in power on the generator, there was a rapid release of heat and energy that caused the reactor to burst apart. The safety experiment was designed to obtain basic reactor shutdown information for use in predicting the behavior of nuclear rocket reactors under a wide range of accident conditions. Kiwi was a project under the National Nuclear Rocket development program, sponsored jointly by the Atomic Energy Commission and NASA as part of project Rover/NERVA (Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application). The main objective of Rover/NERVA was to design a flight rated thermodynamic nuclear rocket engine. Kiwi was a prototype for a nuclear rocket reactor that could be used in space travel. Gaseous hydrogen was used as a propellant on the Kiwi-A tests that began in 1959. Kiwi-A served as a learning tool to test specifications and to discover changes that needed to be implemented in the next phase of study, the Kiwi-B series. This project began in December 1961 and used liquid hydrogen as a propellant. In the late 1960's and early 1970's, the Nixon Administration cut NASA and NERVA funding dramatically. The cutbacks were made in response to a lack of public interest in human spaceflight, the end of the space race after the Apollo Moon landing, and the growing use of low-cost unmanned, robotic space probes. Eventually NERVA lost its funding, and the project ended in 1973.
Full Description
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Date:
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01/12/1965
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NASA Center:
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Headquarters
NASA_Center
Headquarters
NASA Center
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Subject Category:
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Rocket Propulsion
Subject_Category
Rocket Propulsion
Subject Category
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Keywords:
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Kiwi
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Keywords:
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NERVA
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Keywords:
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Rover
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Keywords:
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Jackass
Keywords
Jackass
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Flats
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Keywords:
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Atomic
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Keywords:
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Energy
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Keywords:
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Commission
Keywords
Commission
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Nuclear
Keywords
Nuclear
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Reactor
Keywords
Reactor
Keywords
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Audience:
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General Public
Audience
General Public
Audience
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facet_what:
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Moon
facet_what
Moon
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Nevada
facet_where
Nevada
facet_where
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facet_when:
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1959
facet_when
1959
facet_when
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facet_when:
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1973
facet_when
1973
facet_when
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facet_when:
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December 1961
facet_when
December 1961
facet_when
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facet_when:
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01-12-1965
facet_when
01-12-1965
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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1961
facet_when_year
1961
facet_when_year
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facet_when_year:
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1973
facet_when_year
1973
facet_when_year
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facet_when_year:
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1959
facet_when_year
1959
facet_when_year
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facet_when_year:
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1965
facet_when_year
1965
facet_when_year
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Image #:
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65-H-49
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original_url:
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original_url
original_url
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UID:
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SPD-GRIN-GPN-2002-00 0145
UID
SPD-GRIN-GPN-2002-00 0145
UID
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Center:
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HQ
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Center Number:
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65-H-49
Center_Number
65-H-49
Center Number
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GRIN DataBase Number:
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GPN-2002-000145
GRIN_DataBase_Number
GPN-2002-000145
GRIN DataBase Number
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Creator-Photographer:
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NASA
Creator-Photographer
NASA
Creator-Photographer
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Original Source:
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DIGITAL
Original_Source
DIGITAL
Original Source
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