NUCLEAR ENERGY FOR SPACE PROPULSION AND

AUXILIARY POWER

INDEX

TO

HEARINGS

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON

RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND RADIATION

OF THE

JOINT COMMITTEE ON ATOMIC ENERGY
CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES

EIGHTY-SEVENTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

ON

NUCLEAR ENERGY FOR SPACE PROPULSION

AND AUXILIARY POWER

HELD ON AUGUST 28 AND 29, 1961

Printed for the use of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy

JOINT COMMITTEE ON ATOMIC ENERGY

CHET HOLIFIELD, California, Chairman

JOHN O. PASTORE, Rhode Island, Vice Chairman

JAMES T. RAMEY, Executive Director
JOHN T. CONWAY, Assistant Director

SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND RADIATION

MELVIN PRICE, Illinois, Chairman

EDWARD J. BAUSER, Technical Adviser

INDEX

TO

HEARINGS OF AUGUST 28 AND 29, 1961, ON NUCLEAR
ENERGY FOR SPACE PROPULSION AND AUXILIARY

Statement of W. E. Zisch, executive vice president, on SNAP.

Air Force:

Letters from JCAE to Air Force requesting plans for succeeding
work on Pluto____

Page

93

93

10, 12

128

135

Pluto project, statement on by Dr. H. B. McMillan, Assistant Secre-
tary for Research and Development......-

165

Synopsis of Air Force study efforts SLAM-Pluto_-
Thorne, Col. Ola P.:

148

Statement of Air Force interest in electric propulsion_.
Statement of Air Force interest in Pluto project..........

131

168

61, 114

137, 143, 144, 149

Americum 241__

ANP

ARPA. (See Advanced Research Projects Agency.)
Atomic Energy Commission :

Letter from A. R. Luedecke, General Manager, regarding duplication
of R. & D___

Prompt action taken in advising agencies of SNAP capabilities-.
Reactor feasibility proof for Pluto project depends on further tests
by AEC

Reorganization, effect of..

Atomic Energy Committee.

(See Joint Committee on Atomic Energy.)

Sole supplier of radioisotope fuel material for SNAP.

Atomic Energy, Joint Committee on. (See Joint Committee on Atomic
Energy.)

Automatic weather station;

Axel Heiberg Island, automatic weather station.........
Illustration___.

121

112

139

8

113

62, 108

104

Bergen, William B., president, the Martin Co., letter from, to AEC, with
memorandum on expansion of isotope production and development of
fuel uses......

116

Brown, Dr. Harold, Director, Defense Research and Engineering, Depart-
ment of Defense, statement on Pluto project___

Chemical rockets seen as primary system for first lunar missions.............
Committee on Atomic Energy. (See Joint Committee on Atomic Energy.)
Convair role in NERVA program_.

Curium 242_.

Curtis Bay, Md., illustration of SNAP-7A device to be used at.......

22, 47, 98

50

114

110

Department of Defense:

Page

Interest in isotopes..

66

Statement of Dr. Harold Brown, Director of Research and Engineer-
ing, on Pluto project_-_.

136

Division of Reactor Development reorganization, effect of--
Duplication of research and development on SNAP.

Letter from A. R. Luedecke, General Manager, AEC, concerning dupli-
cation of R. & D-----

Ehricke, Dr. Krafft, General Dynamics-Astronautics, statement---
Electrical propulsion---

Statement by Col. Ola P. Thorne of Air Force interest in electric pro-
pulsion__

Finger, Harold B., manager, Space Nuclear Propulsion Office, AEC, state-
ment__

98, 99, 101

131

Fission products, long-range supply of

Fuels:

Liquid:

Successful use with F-1 engine___.

Nuclear:

Comparison with liquid and solid fuels.....

Curium_

Isotopic power development seen blocked by lack of available fuel.
Radioisotope fuel availability......

Solid:

Large potential developed for first-stage liftoff.
General Dynamics Corp., letter from, on SNAP____.

General Electric Co., letter from, on SNAP..

German scientists role in Soviet and United States rocket development---
Hanford:

Isotope processing___

Storage of material for processing isotopes___

Illustrations:

Automatic weather station_....

Chemical Nova....

Conceptual design of nuclear rocket reactor with two-region core_-.
Distance of impact from launch point versus burnout velocity..

Electric power requirements estimated for space missions‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒
Hazards depicted at various flight phases....

Kiwi A being assembled on stand....

Kiwi A reactor on test car.

Kiwi A test at full power....

Low-, medium-, and high-powered SNAP reactors with illustrations
showing types of missions for each____

Low-thrust system performance based on optimum impulse at constant
thrust for electric impulse systems_--

Manned lunar landing vehicle configurations compared for all chem-
ical and chemical nuclear stages--

Mars landing mission__.

Molybdenum recrystallizing_

NERVA contract.

NERVA organization.

Nuclear Nova 4__.

Chart indicating vehicle's performance__

Nuclear stage on Saturn, chart showing additional thrust from.
Orion conceptual design_.

Outer Space Is Nuclear Space_---

Payload raised to 24-hour orbit by SNAP-8 electric propulsion unit

versus raising time..

Reactor test support..

Reentry burnup__

Saturn C-3..........

Chart indicating vehicle's performance..

SNAP device aboard the Transit 4-A satellite_.

SNAP experimental reactor (SER).

SNAP flight to reentry sequence__

SNAP reentry flight test program (13 illustrations)

Illustrations-Continued

SNAP-1A, high-powered, showing the thermoelectric elements and Page
drainable 4,000-pound Mercury shield.......

SNAP-10A thermoelectric converters coupled to a SNAP-2 reactors---

Soft lunar landing generator_

Surveyor__

Test cell A..........

Test cell C..

Test cell D, NTS.

219

88, 89, 229

96

110

109

92

192

84, 85

226

217

106

42

43

41

213

126

265

Joint Committee on Atomic Energy:

Concern expressed for need to accelerate nuclear rocket development
program

Letters from JCAE to Air Force requesting plans for Pluto-----

Letters of August 7, 1961, and press release Nos. 328 and 329 announc-
ing nuclear rocket hearings__-

Conducted first tests of self-cooled hydrogen-fluorine rocket motor___
Role in development of Centaur_-

Liquid fuels. (See Fuels: Liquid.)

Littlewood, William, American Airlines, ad hoc group to evaluate nuclear
ramjet_

138

Livermore Laboratory work on Pluto project_.

140

Lockheed role in SNAP tests___

100

Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL), Kiwi-B reactor research pro-
gram for NERVA engine___

9

Lunar. (See Moon.)

McMillan, Dr. H. B., Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Research and
Development, statement on Pluto project.__.

Manned Moon mission. (See Moon: Manned mission to.)

Letter and memorandum to AEC from William B. Bergen, president,
on expansion of isotope production and development of fuel uses_
Statement of Dr. Charles E. Crompton___.
Statement of Dr. Jerome G. Morse___

116

113

102

Merkle, Dr. T. C., Associate Director, Lawrence Radiation Laboratory,
statement on Pluto project_-_.

171