NERVA

NERVA
NERVA at the lunar test facility 1992

The Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Applications, short NERVA, is a nuclear-thermal propulsion system for spacecraft developed by NASA.

History

NERVA was first tested 1983 with the space shuttle Pathfinder.

K-32

The K-32 is a model of NERVA first seen in 1992. To test that engine, NASA installed a rocket test site on the Moon near Jamestown. In fall 1994, NASA's Mars spacecraft Sojourner 1 started its journey to the red planet with the latest K-32 NERVA version as its main engine.

Gallery

K-32 NERVA at Jamestown Rocket Testing Site

Ready for a K-32 NERVA test

K-32 NERVA test seen from Mission Control

K-32 NERVA test closer look

Ed teaching about the NERVA

Close-up view of the whiteboard

Behind the scenes

The Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Applications (NERVA^W) was a real engine development program that ran for about 2 decades. It was a joint project of of the US Atomic Energy Commission^W (AEC) and NASA. At the end of 1968 it was deemed that the latest NERVA model would meet the requirements for a human mission to Mars. However, the project was cancelled in 1973 by President Richard Nixon.