WITHDRAWN: Conceptual Design of a Hybrid Steam-Nuclear Interplanetary Transit Vehicle Utilizing In-Situ Water Resources for Crewed Interplanetary Missions

This paper presents a comparative analysis of an advanced propulsion architecture for long-duration interplanetary space missions, integrating nuclear fission heating with in-situ water-derived steam propulsion. The proposed transit vehicle utilizes extraterrestrial water harvested from moons, asteroids, and comets such as Titan, Europa, and Ceres which is heated via a compact nuclear reactor to produce pressurized steam for propulsion. The system consists of a water extraction module, pressurized steam generation systems, radiation-shielded habitation modules, artificial gravity rings, and redundant guidance systems. Our analysis indicates specific impulses of 180-220 seconds with water as propellant, enabling sustainable human exploration missions with 75% reduced Earth-launch mass requirements compared to conventional chemical systems. The architecture supports Mars-Ceres roundtrip missions with a total ΔV budget of approximately 18.5 km/s and demonstrates economic feasibility with estimated costs of approximately $2.25 billion per mission.