[marsokod]

No, they are saying that the nuclear drive shall be reserved to a shuttle that remains in space. At that point, it makes much more sense as you can really use the nuclear drive to its full capabilities.

> If we need the full performance advantage of nuclear propulsion, we should design a spaceship that is intended for it from the get-go. It never lands, only going from orbit to orbit, so there is no need for heat shielding, flaps, high thrust engines, thick steel structure or aerodynamic shaping requirements.