It will also have a life-of-ship nuclear core for its propulsion system designed to last 40 years, which means no mid-life refueling will be required.

FORBES: The Submarine That Might Save America

Ironically, the accident happened only one day before a ship carrying nuclear fuel made up of mixed uranium and plutonium docked in Japan, surrounded by coast guard vessels and greeted by demonstrators.

CNN: 'We're Scared for Our Baby'

Naval war games last fall anticipated security challenges in the near future: how to deal with terrorists in the Arctic, how to deal with a rogue ship carrying nuclear weapons in the Arctic, how to move a U.S. fleet around the top of the planet, how to help clean up an oil spill.

CNN: Why we should look to the Arctic

Greenpeace activists tried, and failed, to stop a ship carrying reprocessed nuclear fuel through the Panama Canal .

ECONOMIST: Bombing build-up

It grew out of a committee protesting against American nuclear testing in the Aleutian islands, whose ship was called Greenpeace.

ECONOMIST: A surprise in the woods

While the ship will not travel at warp speed, with an ion propulsion engine powered by a 1.5GW nuclear reactor, it can travel at a constant acceleration so that the ship can easily get to key points of interest in our solar system.

MSN: Spaceship Enterprise in 20 years? Beam me up!

If Russians could get a rocket ship into space, and lead on nuclear weaponry, what else could their scientists pull off?

FORBES: Russia's High Tech Promise

Three additional nuclear reactors would create all of the electricity needed for operation of the ship.

MSN: Spaceship Enterprise in 20 years? Beam me up!

The proposed plan would retire seven cruisers early, delay construction of the next large-deck amphibious warfare ship by one year, cancel the second Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) in 2014, delay construction of two smaller amphibious warfare ships, and reduce procurement of littoral combat ships by two and joint high speed vessels by eight.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Section IV: Building a Two-MRC Force for the 21st Century