Project Timberwind aimed to develop nuclear thermal rockets. Initial funding by the Strategic Defense Initiative from 1987 through 1991 totaled $139 million (then-year). The proposed rocket was later expanded into a larger design after the project was transferred to the Air Force Space Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (SNTP) program.
The program underwent an audit in 1992 due to security concerns raised by Steven Aftergood.[1] This highly classified program provided the motivation for starting the FAS Government Secrecy project. Convicted spy Stewart Nozette was found to be on the master access list for the TIMBER WIND project.[2]
Advances in high-temperature metals, computer modelling and nuclear engineering in general resulted in dramatically improved performance. Whereas the NERVA engine was projected to weigh about 6803 kg, the final SNTP offered just over 1/3 the thrust from an engine of only 1650 kg, while further improving the specific impulse from 930 to 1000 seconds.
In 1983, the Strategic Defense Initiative ("Star Wars") identified missions that could benefit from rockets that are more powerful than chemical rockets, and some that could only be undertaken by more powerful rockets. A nuclear propulsion project, SP-100, was created in February 1983 with the aim of developing a 100 KW nuclear rocket system. The concept incorporated a particle/pebble-bed reactor, a concept developed by James R. Powell at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, which promised a specific impulse of up to and a thrust to weight ratio of between 25 and 35 for thrust levels greater than 20000lbf.
From 1987 to 1991 it was funded as a secret project codenamed Project Timberwind, which spent $139 million. The proposed rocket project was transferred to the Space Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (SNTP) program at the Air Force Phillips Laboratory in October 1991. NASA conducted studies as part of its 1992 Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) but felt that SNTP offered insufficient improvement over NERVA, and was not required by any SEI missions. The SNTP program was terminated in January 1994,[3] after $200 million was spent.
In contrast to the TIMBER WIND project, the Space Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (SNTP) program was intended to develop upper-stages for space-lift which would not operate within the Earth's atmosphere. SNTP failed to achieve its objective of flight testing a nuclear thermal upper-stage, and was terminated in January 1994. The program involved coordinating efforts across the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and their contractors from operating sites across the U.S. A major accomplishment of the program was to coordinate Environmental Protection Agency approvals for ground testing at two possible sites.[7]
| Location | Responsibilities | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookhaven National Laboratory | Upton, NY | Reactor materials and components testing; thermal-hydraulic, and neutronic analysis; reactor design studies | |
| Babcock & Wilcox | Lynchburg, VA | Reactor design testing, fabrication and assembly | |
| Albuquerque, NM | Nuclear safety, nuclear instrumentation and operation, reactor control system modeling, nuclear testing | ||
| Aerojet Propulsion Division | Sacramento, CA | Fuel element alternate materials development | |
| Hercules Aerospace Corporation | Magna, UT | Design and fabrication of engine lower structure and nozzle | |
| Garrett Fluid Systems Division | Tempe, AZ and San Tan, AZ | Design and fabrication of attitude control system, propellant flow control system and turbopump assembly | |
| AiResearch Los Angeles Division of Allied Signal | Torrance, CA | Turbine wheel testing | |
| Grumman Space Electronics Division | Bethpage, NY | Vehicle design and fabrication, systems integration | |
| Raytheon Services Nevada | Las Vegas, NV | Facility and Coolant Supply System (CSS) engineering, facility construction management | |
| Reynolds Electrical and Engineering Company, Inc | Las Vegas, NV | Facility construction | |
| Fluor-Daniel, Inc. | Irvine, CA | Effluent Treatment System (ETS) engineering | |
| Sandia National Labs | Saddle Mountain Test Site or QUEST or LOFT Sites | Test site preparation, planning and performance of engine ground tests, nuclear component testing | |
| [REDACTED] | Washington, DC | Program management | |
| DoE Headquarters | Washington, DC | Program management, nuclear safety assurance | |
| DoE Nevada Test Site | Las Vegas, NV | Ground testing | |
| DoE Idaho National Engineering Lab | Idaho Falls, ID | Ground testing | |
| U.S. Air Force Phillips Lab | Albuquerque, NM | Program management | |
| U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | Huntsville, AL | ETS engineering management | |
| Los Alamos National Laboratory | Los Alamos, NM | Fuels and materials testing | |
| Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA) | Huntsville, AL | Material and component simulation/testing | |
| Western Test Range/Western Space & Missile Center (USAF) | Vandenberg AFB, CA | Program review | |
| Arnold Engineering Development Center | Manchester, TN | Hydrogen flow testing | |
| UNC Manufacturing Company | Uncasville, CT | Materials manufacturing | |
| Grumman Corporation - Calverton Facility | Long Island, NY | Hydrogen testing |
The program had technical achievements as well, such as developing high-strength fibers, and carbide coatings for Carbon-Carbon composites. The hot-section design evolved to use all Carbon-Carbon to maximize turbine inlet temperature and minimize weight. Carbon-Carbon has much lower nuclear heating than other candidate materials, so thermal stresses were minimized as well. Prototype turbine components employing a 2-D polar reinforcement weave were fabricated for use in the corrosive, high-temperature hydrogen environment found in the proposed particle bed reactor (PBR)-powered engine. The particle bed reactor concept required significant radiation shielding, not only for the payload, electronics and structure of the vehicle, but also to prevent unacceptable boil-off of the cryogenic propellant. A propellant-cooled, composite shield of Tungsten, which attenuates gamma rays and absorbs thermal neutrons, and Lithium Hydride, which has a large scattering cross section for fast and thermal neutrons was found to perform well with low mass compared to older Boron Aluminum Titanium Hydride (BATH) shields.
Sandia National Labs was responsible for qualification of the coated particle fuel for use in the SNTP nuclear thermal propulsion concept.[8]
| Con | |||
| Bleed Cycle | Development of high temp turbine and feed lines required | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Partial Flow Expander Cycle |