Portable, Mobile, and Vehicle Atomic Power

Atomic energy has characteristics which make it attractive for applications other than central-station electric generation.

Topics to be covered include expeditionary powerplants, nuclear ships (including submarines), aircraft, and rockets, and nuclear-powered spacecraft, including the Mars Curiosity Rover, currently the only land vehicle driven by atomic power (from a radioisotope thermoelectric generator).

Slides

Introductory slide with Seaborg quote
Portable nuclear power plants have been deployed to remote regions such as the Arctic and Antarctic to save on fuel costs.
Mobile nuclear power plants were considered to be of great utility, but have only been dabbled with so far.
Nuclear-powered vessels have been a great success for the Navy, but in civilian service they have yet to prove themselves.
Aircraft nuclear propulsion is a dubious idea which came close to reality.
Nuclear rockets may hold the key to the solar system, but this will only become relevant when large-scale space exploration resumes.
Many space missions have benefitted from small “nuclear batteries”.