Pulse nuclear rocket! Project Orion (NOT the boondoggle rocket) FTW!
I honestly wonder if they could do more bomb design wiht modern simulation/supercomputers that will have near-zero bad isotopes / fallout.
The #1 reason I think we should have a moon base is that we can use it as a launch site for a Project Orion craft that would economically move a couple million tons around the solar system. You have a million ton ship that can get to Jupiter in a month, that means practical asteroid mining.
I think nuclear salt-water rockets might be more tenable. They produce consistent thrust, and do not involve sending nuclear weapons into orbit, hence not breaking any treaties.
Their thrust is lower, but the complexity is lower aswell. No weird damping system to 'absorb' the explosion, and crucially, much less radiation. You are dumping the reaction products away from you, rather than shooting the reaction products at yourself as with Orion. Hence you need much less radiation shielding.
I honestly wonder if they could do more bomb design wiht modern simulation/supercomputers that will have near-zero bad isotopes / fallout.
The #1 reason I think we should have a moon base is that we can use it as a launch site for a Project Orion craft that would economically move a couple million tons around the solar system. You have a million ton ship that can get to Jupiter in a month, that means practical asteroid mining.