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NASA's 1968 Nuclear Rocket Propulsion Film

US National Archives · Documentary · 24 min · 2017 · YouTube title: Nuclear Propulsion in Space
Why it's here

HN people link it as an old-timey explainer for nuclear thermal propulsion, and as evidence these engines were already built and tested.

What it covers

A 1968 NASA film from the US National Archives explaining why the US needed a nuclear rocket and how the engine works. It also shows combined nuclear and chemical stages for a manned Mars mission.