Darpa Project Orion (1950-60s) >Project Orion was a study conducted in the 1950s
and 1960s by the United States Air Force, DARPA, and NASA into the viability of
a nuclear pulse spaceship that would be directly propelled by a series of atomic
explosions behind the craft. >Non-nuclear tests were condu...
The biggest design above is the "super" Orion design; at 8 million tons, it could easily be a city.[25] In interviews, the designers contemplated the large ship as a possible interstellar ark. This extreme design could be built with materials and techniques that could be obtained in 1958 or were anticipated to be available shortly after.