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NASA is eyeing the late 2030s for sending humans to Mars and it could use a nuclear-powered rocket that would dramatically reduce the seven-month journey for those spacefaring heroes.
The technological advancement has long been seen as critical to long-haul missions, including a manned trip to Mars.
Over the last several years, Congress has passed multi-pronged policy initiatives and provided billions of dollars in funding to spur the deployment of “advanced” nuclear reactors, and a sprawling array of projects are now in progress.
"We're kind of restricted right now, by the tyranny of the rocket equation. I've got to have mass to eject in order to move myself around within the Earth-Moon gravity well and beyond. How do we get past that?" asked SPACECOM deputy commander Lt. Gen. John Shaw.
The funding increase that Congress provided to Defense Department R&D programs in fiscal year 2022 outpaced those of most nondefense science agencies. The Biden administration is seeking significant budget increases for some priorities in fiscal year 2023, but its proposals still leave early-stage R&D facing significant cuts.