abstract:Project Orion was a study of a spacecraft intended to be directly propelled by a series of explosions of atomic bombs behind the craft (nuclear pulse propulsion). Early versions of this vehicle were proposed to have taken off from the ground with significant associated nuclear fallout; later versions were presented for use only in space.
Experts are also taking a fresh look at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's 1996 ProjectOrion, a "space broom" concept to fry space trash with ground-based lasers.