Originally posted by ngtm1r
Still, that would mean it has two seperate propulsion systems...or one that works in both environments, yet can somehow make use of atmosphere to be more efficent...UC Gundam-style thermonuclear jet engines?
I don't know if BSG has nuclear engines - but if you had them it would be easy to build them for dual use.
A nuclear engine just replaces the reaction chamber (where you'd otherwise inject fuel and burn it) with a reactor.
The propellant passes throuogh the reactor and expands due the heat it recieves, and later leaves via a conventional thruster.
In a nuclear engine fuel and propellant are separate - fuel is plutonium or uranium in the reactor, while the propellant is the reaction mass; which is usually Hydrogene in most designs.
You can build either a rocket or a jet desing - the rocket has onboard propellant tanks, while the jet has a turbine + copressor to suck in air which is passed through the reactor.
Fusion engines may use their plasma as propellant though, however unlike fission engines they are not feasible with our current technological knowledge. (Fission Engines are a prooven theory and are completly ready for production! The only reason they are not used is the danger of nuclear contamination and fallout in case of a mishap during the mission.)
