Nuclear photonic rocket

In a \'nuclear photonic rocket', a nuclear reactor would generate such high temperatures that the light from the reactor would provide thrust. Think of a nuclear light-bulb, with a reflector. The big advantage is that nothing material leaves the spacecraft, so only nuclear fuel is depleted. This has the highest-known specific impulse of any rocket that might be made with known technology. The reactor would be constructed of graphite and tungsten.

A variation is the photon rocket proposed by the German rocket scientist Eugen Sänger, using antimatter annihilation as a light source and an electron-mirror as a reflecting medium. None of his mirror designs seem to work in reality, however.

See also: spacecraft propulsion