"Hot Rod" - Nuclear Orion spacecraft prototype (2011-06-05)

In 1959 this mock-up version of the Orion was launched helping prove the validity of the design. 1 Meter in diameter, weighing 105kg, it was not powered by nuclear blasts but by 1 kilogram balls of C4 explosive. Watch closely and you can see them come out the back. It reached a height of 105meters.