Comment by akira2501
> the fallout wouldn't be an environmental issue.
"It's outside the environment."
> has considered a high-thrust nuclear
Of course we have. Always start at NTRS: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19690000736
> Certainly sci-fi has!
Our Solar system is a gravitational well that tends to put things in solar orbit. You really want the waste products to leave the solar system, which isn't terribly difficult, or you want them to land on the sun itself, which is exceptionally difficult.
Our Solar system is a gravitational well that tends to put things in solar orbit. You really want the waste products to leave the solar system, which isn't terribly difficult, or you want them to land on the sun itself, which is exceptionally difficult.
Yes, it is counter intuitive but it takes less energy to leave the solar system get to the sun (you have to cancel out the Earth's orbital speed). Something learned from Kerbel Space Program.