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Nuclear Power in Flight

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2016

A. D. Baxter
A. D. Baxter*
Affiliation:
The de Havilland Engine Co. Ltd.
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Abstract

The 1,190th lecture to be given before the Society—and the 44th Main Lecture to be held at a Branch centre—" Nuclear Power in Flight", by Professor A. D. Baxter, M.Eng., F.R.Ae.S., M.I.Mech.E., at that time Director and Chief Executive, Rockets and Nuclear Power, and now Executive Director (Engineering), The de Havilland Engine Co. Ltd., was given under the auspices of the Swindon Branch of the Society on 2nd February 1961. Mr. S. R. Hughes, A.F.R.Ae.S., A.F.I.A.S., Chairman of the Swindon Branch, opened the meeting by welcoming the President of the Society, Dr. E. S. Moult, C.B.E., B.Sc.Eng., F.R.Ae.S., M.I.Mech.E., and other distinguished guests attending this first Main Society Lecture to be given at Swindon. Dr. Moult, who presided for the rest of the meeting, expressed his great pleasure at being present on this occasion. Introducing the lecturer, the President said that Profesor Baxter, as he was still known, was educated at Liverpool University and from 1930-34 served an apprenticeship with the Daimler Company. During this time he took his pilot's “A” licence and was commissioned in the R.A.F.O. After a year as Research Engineer with the Institution of Automobile Engineers, he joined the Royal Aircraft Establishment in 1935 as a Technical Engineer working on gas turbine research and later, rocket propulsion. From 1947 to 1950 he was Superintendent, Rocket Propulsion Dept., R.A.E., and then joined the new College of Aeronautics as Professor of Aircraft Propulsion, becoming Deputy Principal of the College also, in 1954. In 1957 Professor Baxter left the College of Aeronautics to join The de Havilland Engine Co. Ltd. as Chief Executive, Rocket Engine Division.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 65 , Issue 609 , September 1961 , pp. 585 - 598
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 1961

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References

References

1.Dunworth, J. V. (1957). Nuclear mobile propulsion with particular reference to aircraft. Sixth Anglo American Aeronautical Conference, 1957. Royal Aeronautical Society.Google Scholar
2.Morgan, M. B. (1960). Supersonic aircraft—Promise and Problems. Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Vol. 64 p. 315, 1960.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Bibliography

A selection of papers and articles on aircraft nuclear propulsion problems is listed at the end of Ref. 1, covering the period 1947-57. A further list is added below for the period 1957-60. This list is divided between aircraft and spacecraft applications.

1. Aircraft Nuclear Systems

Middlewood, R. W. (1957). Application of nuclear power to logistic aircraft systems. S.A.E. Preprint 206, September 1957.Google Scholar
Johnson, C. L. (1957). Design of air frames for nuclear power. Aero Eng. Rev., p. 48, June 1957.Google Scholar
Lalor, D. P. (1960). Choice of engine type for nuclear-powered multi-purpose aircraft. S.A.E. Preprint 167B, 1960.Google Scholar
Semple, E. L. and Cooley, W. C. (1958). Direct cycle nuclear turbojet power plants. Aero/Space Engineering, p. 30, August 1958.Google Scholar
Crocker, A. R. (1957). Testing aircraft nuclear power plants. Aero Eng. Rev., p. 30, December 1957.Google Scholar
Miller, H. (1958). Testing an aircraft nuclear propulsion system. S.A.E. Journal, p. 26, November 1958. Google Scholar
O.R.N.L. (1957). The aircraft reactor experiment. Nuclear Science and Eng., p. 797, 1957.Google Scholar
Aschenbrenner, F. A. (1958). Shielding for aircraft nuclear powerplants. Nuclear Engineering & Science Congress, Chicago, 1958.Google Scholar
Schaeffer, N. M. and French, R. L. (1959). Shielding experiments for nuclear aircraft on towers, in the air, on the ground. S.A.E. Journal, p. 32, February 1959.Google Scholar
Hullings, W. Q. (1960). Some practical methods for fabricating shields for nuclear powered aircraft. S.A.E. Preprint 167C, 1960.Google Scholar
Tierney, J. J. (1959). Radiation effects studies for the development of radiation resistant aircraft subsystems. S.A.E. Preprint 107T, 1959.Google Scholar

2. Rocket Nuclear Systems

Bussard, R. W. and Delauer, R. D. (1958). Nuclear rocket propulsion. McGraw Hill, 1958.Google Scholar
Cotter, T. P. (1959). Potentialities and problems of nuclear rocket propulsion. Aero/Space Eng., p. 50, February 1959. Google Scholar
Newgard, J. J. and Levoy, M. M. (1960). Consideration in the design of a nuclear rocket. Nuclear Sci. Eng., Vol. 7, p. 377, April, 1960.Google Scholar
Nagey, T. F. (1958). Nuclear rocket propulsion—survey of proposed concepts. S.A.E. Preprint 53A, June 1958.Google Scholar
Sams, E. W. (1960). Performance of nuclear rocket for large payload, earth satellite booster. Journal Aerospace Sci., Vol. 27, p. 481, July 1960.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grey, J. (1959). Gaseous-core nuclear rockets. Astronautics, Vol. 4, p. 23, October 1959.Google Scholar
Hatch, L. P., Regan, W.H. and Powell, J. R. (1960). Fluidized solids as a nuclear fuel for rocket propulsion. American Rocket Society, Paper 1209-60.Google Scholar
Levoy, M. M. and Newgard, J. J. (1960). Pebble bed nuclear reactors for space vehicle propulsion. Aerospace Eng., Vol. 19, p. 54, April 1960.Google Scholar
Anon (1960). A closer look at the real Kiwi-A. Nucleonics, p. 96, April 1960.Google Scholar
Moeckel, W. E.et al.(1960). Satellite and space propulsion systems. N.A.S.A. T.N. D-285, June 1960.Google Scholar
Howard, H. J. and McJones, R. W. (1959). Available power systems for space vehicles. A.R.S. Tech. Paper 1032-59. 1959.Google Scholar
Kovacik, V. P. and Ross, D. P. (1959). Performance of nuclear electric propulsion systems. I.A.S. 27th Annual Meeting, Rep. 59-25, New York, January 1959.Google Scholar
Brewer, G. R., Etter, J. E. and Anderson, J. R. (1960). Design and Performance of small modelion engines. A.R.S. Preprint 1125-60, May 1960.Google Scholar
Dangle, E. E. and Lockwood, D. L. (1960). N.A.S.A. Experimental research with ion rockets. A.R.S. Preprint 1126-60, May 1960.Google Scholar
Anderson, G. M. (1960). Snap 2—A reactor powered turbo-electric generator for space vehicles. S.A.E. Preprint 154B April 1960.Google Scholar