this post was submitted on 14 May 2024
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[–] Waldowal@lemmy.world 10 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Hear me out: Nuclear airplanes.

It works for the submarines. Think of the pros:

  • Full power electric outlets at every seat instead of that bullcrap they have today
  • Flight attendants can easily be trained as Nuclear Physicists
  • If a meltdown does occur, it might very well recreate the entire plot of Donnie Darko.
[–] Railison@aussie.zone 3 points 5 months ago

As a fun aside, the Americans and Russians both experimented with this idea during the Cold War. Check out YouTube for some info on the designs

[–] MacroCyclo@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 months ago

Yeahhhh, maybe not...

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 2 points 5 months ago

For military it has been looked into. Issue at the time was weight vs power.

Main issue being such an aircraft cannot become a unaimed bomb in the event of downing somehow. And while air may statically be the safest way to travel. Planes have had many issues. More so during the time of this research.

So only with the nuclear unit contained in a 18000ft drop saft container. Is such an idea considered viable. Subs and ships do not need that level of protection. Or have that much limitation on power to weight.