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Russia explosion: Five confirmed dead in rocket blast
Five people were killed and three injured following a rocket explosion on an Arctic naval test range in Russia on Thursday, state nuclear company Rosatom confirmed. Rosatom said the accident occurred during tests on a liquid propellant rocket engine. The three injured staff members suffered serious burns in the accident. Authorities had previously said that two people died and six were injured in the blast at the site in Nyonoksa.
The company told Russian media that its engineering and technical team had been working on the "isotope power source" for the propulsion system. The Nyonoksa site carries out tests for virtually every missile system used by the Russian navy, including sea-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and anti-aircraft missiles.
Authorities in Severodvinsk, 47km (29 miles) east of Nyonoksa said that radiation levels shortly after the blast were higher than normal for about 40 minutes but returned to normal. Locals have rushed to buy medical iodine, with pharmacies' stocks of iodine reported to be running out in the cities of Arkhangelsk and Severodvinsk. The rush for iodine was reported earlier by a news website for the Arkhangelsk region, 29.ru.
Also at The Guardian, NBC, and CNN.
See also: U.S.-Based Experts Suspect Russia Blast Involved Nuclear-Powered Missile
Update: Russia Confirms Radioactive Materials Were Involved in Deadly Blast
In a statement released at 1 a.m. Saturday, Russia's nuclear energy company, Rosatom, said five employees had died, in addition to the two military personnel previously confirmed dead, as a result of a test on Thursday morning involving "isotopic sources of fuel on a liquid propulsion unit."
(Score: 2) by legont on Monday August 12 2019, @02:42AM (1 child)
I am not sure at all, but from what I hear, Russia built nuclear ram-jet which basically heats *air* by isotopes which is used as propellant and hence provides unlimited flight time, but within the atmosphere.
Russia is also developing nuclear engines for space travel where there is no free propellant. In fact the second biggest Russia's airline S7 promised to open scheduled flights to Mars and they plan to use nuclear engine. https://www.wired.com/2016/03/russia-thinks-can-use-nukes-fly-mars-90-days-can-find-rubles/ [wired.com]
https://tass.com/science/1030739 [tass.com]
It appears that the explosion involves the second type of engine.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by Hartree on Monday August 12 2019, @03:14AM
If it was a nuclear thermal rocket they were testing, then the propellant of choice would be hydrogen due to the low molecular weight leading to a high exhaust velocity and thus a high Isp. Liquid hydrogen would match with the liquid fuel statement.