Saturn I RIFT
Launch vehicle · USA
Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.
Saturn C-2 with RIFT (Reactor In-Flight Test) Nuclear upper stage
Credit: © Mark Wade
American nuclear orbital launch vehicle. In the first half of the 1960's it was planned to make suborbital tests of nuclear propulsion for upper stages using a Saturn IB first stage to boost a Rover-reactor powered second stage on a suborbital trajectory. The second stage would impact the Atlantic Ocean down range from Cape Canaveral.
Related
Chronology
2 events
1961 March 30
LV Family: Saturn I. Launch Vehicle: Saturn I RIFT.- RIFT flight briefed to contractors. - . Nation: USA. Program: NERVA. Reactor-in-flight-test system (Rift) study, a part of the NASA-AEC program on nuclear rockets, was briefed by contractors at NASA headquarters..
1961 December 7
LV Family: Saturn I. Launch Vehicle: Saturn I RIFT.- Kiwi B-1A tests completed. - .
Nation: USA.
Program: NERVA.
Power run completed the test series on the Kiwi B-1A reactor system being conducted at the Nevada Test Site by AEC's Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. Fourth in a series of test reactors in the joint AEC-NASA nuclear rocket propulsion program, Kiwi B-1A was disassembled for examination at the conclusion of the test runs.