Are Nuclear Scientists Idiots?

When I heard about the nuclear space ship I was intitally excited. Deep space exploration and all, then I heard how it works. It is steam powered, WTF!!!!! We can find a way to split atoms, but we can't find a better way of harnessing the immennse power of nuclear energy than heating up water? I heat up water when I make my maccroni and cheese, and that is how they want to get into deep space? Maby there is something that I am not understanding, it just seems stupid to me.

If I am not mistaken water is the best method since it is a harmless and useful substance too.

Steam for its volume and weight contains a great deal of energy also.

Where did you hear that it was steam powered? It may very well be powered by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen but I doubt that its steam powered.

Originally posted by BlackJackal
Where did you hear that it was steam powered? It may very well be powered by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen but I doubt that its steam powered.

I thought thats how nuclear power worked. They use the heat generated by the nuclear reactions to heat up steam and drive turbines. Sounds out dated but its true.

fission makes heavy charged particles mostly which cause heat.

you need a heat engine to make work.

some processes like fusion make faster light charged particles which you might be able to capture their energy electromagnetically

problem is that it makes too many neutrons and quickly irradiates and transoforms the materials into brittle #.

Yeah when i saw the shcematics for a nuke powerplant in my science book one day i saw it was steam powered. My reaction was the same: WTF!! The process to convert the power into steam not just once but twice loses so much energy!! it is kind of sad that they couldn't find a better way to harness nuclear energy, but hey, there's always antimatter......

To my knowledge there is not a power source in existance which does not rely on the coversion of energy from one form to another. Remember "Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only be converted from one form to another." (I may have misworded the quote, but the gist is there)