Gas core reactor rocket
（重定向自Gas core nuclear rocket）
![Diagram of an open cycle gas core reactor rocket.](/Images/godic/202501/14/Gas_Core_open_cycle2857.png")
![Diagram of a](/Images/godic/202501/14/Gas_Core_light_bulb2857.png")
Gas core reactor rockets are a conceptual type of rocket that is propelled by the exhausted coolant of a gaseous fission reactor. The nuclear fission reactor core may be either a gas or plasma. They may be capable of creating specific impulses of 3,000–5,000 s (30 to 50 kN·s/kg, effective exhaust velocities 30 to 50 km/s) and thrust which is enough for relatively fast interplanetary travel. Heat transfer to the working fluid (propellant) is by thermal radiation, mostly in the ultraviolet, given off by the fission gas at a working temperature of around 25,000 °C.