Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Simulator

A nuclear thermal rocket (NTP) pumps liquid hydrogen through the core of a fission reactor instead of burning fuel with an oxidizer. This simulator visualizes that flow path — cold hydrogen entering from the propellant tank, heating rapidly as it threads the reactor core, and expanding through a nozzle as high-velocity exhaust. Because specific impulse scales inversely with the square root of the propellant's molar mass, the lightest practical propellant (hydrogen) combined with reactor-grade heat yields roughly double the specific impulse of the best chemical engines — the real reason NTP concepts could roughly halve transit time to Mars. Adjust reactor power to see core temperature, Isp, and the chemical-vs-nuclear comparison respond in real time.