It reminded me of Project Orion
Where nuclear bombs were going to be lobbed out of the back of a rocket to propel it. There are videos of non-nuclear prototypes being tested - how that didn't make them go "Yeah, this is nuts" beggars belief.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)
Only slightly more nuts than nuclear ramjets. Crazy times.
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tarka_dall Like normal dall, only a bit more spicy, Sat 14 Feb 2026, 7:27,
Reply)
At the end of his autobiography Teller laments how he couldn't get agreement to use reasonably small atomic bombs for civil engineering projects
(, Sat 14 Feb 2026, 10:28, Reply)
Some footage of the (non-nuclear) tests: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYoLcJuBtOw&t=120s
The whole documentary is worth a watch.
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evil_andy Stick stick stick stick sticky sticky stick stick, Sat 14 Feb 2026, 16:13,
Reply)