PIRDy66-CLIP.mpg

Historic video (1968) of KIWI nuclear rocket research reactor activities conducted under Project Rover at the Nuclear Rocket Development Station located within the Nevada National Security Site, formerly known as the Nevada Test Site. The video clip features the Reactor Maintenance, Assembly, and Disassembly Facility, known as R-MAD used from 1959 to 1970 for the assembly and disassembly of reactors. R-MAD assembly high bays were used to load reactor rockets on rail cars for transfer to the test facilities. After the tests were completed, the reactor rockets were transferred back to the R-MAD disassembly high bay hot cell. The reactor rocket was removed from the rail car and large scale disassembly activities performed. The reactor sections of the rocket were transferred to smaller postmortem hot cells for detailed inspection and dissection. The nuclear fuel associated with the reactor was removed and subsequently transferred to the Idaho National Laboratory in 1975 for reprocessing. R-MAD demolition and environmental restoration was completed in August 2010. Full video titled Nuclear Propulsion in Space presented by NASA and the Atomic Energy Commission (PIRDy66).

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Education

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• CLIP