The project for which the Middletown, Conn., plant was first built has been abandoned; U.S. authorities no longer feel driven to solve the enormously difficult design problems of a nuclear-powered aircraft. But the Pratt & Whitney engineers who sweated over the complexities of the atom plane's engine are still determined to get some sort of nuclear reactor aloft. They are working for AEC now, and last week the commission allowed them to give a glimpse of their top-secret labs.
White-Hot Metal. The most striking Middletown project is SNAP-50, a lightweight nuclear-power reactor designed to operate in space. Incorporating technical know-how gained...
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