Hi All

Here's a bright idea...

http://www.nuclearspace.com/a_liberty_ship10.htm

...a gas-core nuclear rocket (Isp = 3000s) weighing in at 6,000,000 lb - 840,000 dry mass, 2,400,000 lb LH2 and 2,000,000 lb payload.

Delta V ~ 15,000 m/s enough to soft land without aero-braking [no "Columbia" burn-ups] after a trip to LEO. Or fly direct to the Moon to refuel (on H2O?) and return after off-loading 900 tons payload.

This ship really ROCKS!

Since it uses a nuclear light-bulb core there's no waste leakage. The core heats up to 25,000 K so it emits mostly UV, but the core is contained in a silica dome that's transparent to the UV.

The fission fuel gas can be stored and controlled with known techniques. Heck the Russians built a few working gas core nukes during the Cold War!

Of course we have to convince Joe Public it's safe...

Adam