Taylor Hampson, a master’s student in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is tackling one of the toughest challenges in space propulsion: modeling nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP), a rocket technology that uses nuclear energy to heat propellant and deliver significantly higher efficiency than chemical rockets. His work, supported by NASA collaborations, focuses on understanding the complex interactions among engine components, from fuel and reactor core to tanks and pumps, to predict performance reliably and inform future designs for missions to Mars and beyond, tells MIT News.
NTP systems work by heating a propellant such as hydrogen with energy from a nuclear reactor before expelling it through a nozzle to generate thrust. Because nuclear heat can boost propellant temperature far higher than chemical combustion, NTP can nearly double or more the efficiency for the same thrust level, shortening space travel times and reducing astronauts’ exposure to microgravity hazards. That efficiency makes NTP attractive for long-duration missions such as human travel to Mars, even though cost and regulatory hurdles have historically slowed adoption.
Hampson’s research addresses key practical hurdles in modeling NTP engines. Unlike chemical rocket engines, nuclear systems cannot start and stop simply. The reactor’s heat and decay processes make transient behavior, especially startup and shutdown, critical to model accurately. Rapid temperature shifts risk material failure, and heat from radioactive decay requires continued cooling of components after shutdown, further complicating system dynamics. By developing a one-dimensional model that captures temperature, pressure, and neutronic effects across the engine, Hampson can explore how design choices and operating conditions influence overall performance and reliability.
His work builds on early NASA interests in NTP and broader efforts to make nuclear propulsion practical for deep space. Facilities at MIT, including its reactor and expert faculty advisors, provide unique capabilities to test nuclear fuels and refine propulsion simulations. As human missions to Mars move closer to reality, such modeling efforts will play a central role in translating nuclear propulsion from concept to mission-ready technology.