Comet Program

The Comet Program was a NASA initiative launched in the 1980s aimed at developing advanced space propulsion technology, specifically nuclear thermal rockets. These rockets would use a nuclear reactor to heat a propellant like hydrogen, providing much greater efficiency than traditional chemical rockets. The goal was to enable faster, more capable missions to distant destinations like Mars and beyond. Although the program was ultimately canceled in the early 1980s due to budget and policy changes, it laid important groundwork for future exploration concepts and advancements in space propulsion engineering.