In reading up on Orion drive ships, I came across the concept of a "Nuclear Salt Water Rocket."

This device is described here:

http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/enginelist.php#id--Nuclear_Thermal--Gas_Core--Open_Cycle--Nuclear_Salt_Water

I am thinking that this would be just the thing for a Flash-Gordon-style "atomic rocket ship." Unfortunately, I don't have enough math to understand the calculations, so I was hoping someone on the list could let me know how to model one of these, in terms of the simple Book 1 Classic Traveller shipbuilding rules.

By the way, since the rocket's fuel is stored in discrete small-diameter tubes to prevent inadvertent critical mass, battle damage would result in [according to the website author] "a nuclear explosion inside the ship." But since the fuel only explodes upon reaching critical mass, if one were to thread the tubes throughout the outer layer of hull and equip each line segment it's own explosive reactive armor [to expell and scatter the fuel from the damaged line before it could react], you should be able to prevent uncontrolled reaction.

--
Richard Aiken

"Never insult anyone by accident."  Robert A. Heinlein
"I studied the Koran a great deal. I came away from that study with the conviction there have been few religions in the world as deadly to men as Muhammed." Alexis de Tocqueville
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"It has been my experience that a gun doesn't care who pulls its trigger." Newton Knight (as portrayed by Matthew McConaughey), to a scoffing Confederate tax collector facing the weapons held by Knight's young children and wife.